15 January 2007

The Dream....

I've always been an admirer of Dr. Martin Luther King, and to this day, I embrace his words with a passion. They are great words spoken out of a deep sincerity that everyone CAN "just get along". And to sustain ourselves for our posterity...we MUST become able to get along. But what has happened to Dr. King's dream after all these years anyway?

Much of the progress that was made in the aftermath of Dr. King's very untimely death has (imho) been negated, and in many cases been turned back upon itself. There ARE those people who took Dr. King's words to heart, and made a difference if not for the masses, then at least for themselves. And that by itself isn't such a bad legacy.
My primary question should be: Where are the standard bearers that have taken up the banner of Dr. King and marched FORWARD?

Have we become so complacent as to think that "things will work themselves" out? I cannot think for a moment that we could ever be THAT presumptuous. Or have we merely supplanted other "devices" in lieu of the real meaning of Dr. King's "dream"?

Does affirmative action work? Would Dr. King even approve of this, or would he say that EVERY man (or woman), black OR white MUST stand on his (or her) OWN MERITS and let THAT be the example for others to emulate? Do free government programs "designed" to get people "back on their feet" serve to actually make this a reality, or do they promote a multi-generational dependancy system solely for it's own self-perpetuation? Is becoming a role model for the black youth today dictate that they have "sold out to the white man"? They used to call that "being an oreo", or even an Uncle Tom.

When brawling, overpaid sport figures, as well as so-called musical "artists" (with more hate in their hearts and in their "music" than ever before) become the icons for the newest generation of youth, is it any wonder that the downward spiral we see in society cannot be tracked back to a lack of REAL role models? Why are so many blacks wallowing in this "victimology" mindset that "whitey is out to get them", when they have heard the truth (and that being they must learn to help THEMSELVES first and foremost, striving for self-betterment), and THAT TRUTH HAS (already) set them free? If there are still any shackles about the wrists, they have become more self-imposed than anything.

One example we see is that marriage is becoming more of an anachronism, and nowhere is this more prevalent than in black families. With a divorce rate at over 50% for all races, we see that many more blacks are just plain outright NOT getting married (just cohabitating), to anyone from any race. The lack of responsibility (to another) must be the overriding factor to this way of thinking. We see in a lot of black music the denegration of women, the glorifying of a thug lifestyle, and an overall hedonistic view of life in general. THIS is NOT Dr. King's dream being realized by ANY stretch of ANY imagination. If anything, it is the antithesis. Yet, this is NOT to say that similar things do NOT happen in other ethnicites...they DO. But it's Dr. King's dream for HIS people that we're focused on...and where it all disappeared to.

Thankfully, there are those who STILL believe in the dream.....holding fast to Dr. King's messages and his fream. Some have succeeded...many have yet to realize the dream. And still more aren't even interested any longer. Yet it's for ALL THESE people that his dream holds a modicum of hope. Someone once said that "Dreams are great...they don't cost anything". I would counter that by stating that to ACHIEVE one's dream...much work is not just expected, but REQUIRED. And therein lies much of the problem with Dr. King's fulfillment of THE DREAM. There are those that expect something for little (or nothing).

Racism still exists, but although it has been proven that reverse racism is thriving even more than typical racism, we barely hear about that. We only focus on things done to blacks by whites. Now we're seeing racism towards those of Middle Eastern ancestry. Each new generation brings it's own unique problems...and still, the problems of the former generations have neither been fully addressed NOR solved (to any significant degree).

I would maintain that all of us look to the bigger picture....and to the values that Dr. King believed in. He saw the potential in every one of us, black OR white, and our failure to strive for that diminshes Dr. King's teachings in so many ways. This we cannot allow to happen, if we ALL are to evolve as a race...the HUMAN race.
Without these values applied to our rights granted us by our Constitution, Dr. King's DREAM fast becomes a NIGHTMARE...
...one we may never awaken from.

Perhaps Dr. King summed it up best when he wrote:

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous as sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity".

7 comments:

Jana said...

You know, I just had a thought:

When I was in fifth grade my teacher required me and my classmates to memorize the first paragraph or two of his famous "I Have A Dream" speech.

I'm wondering if teachers in elementary schools today do the same thing...

Wonderful post B.

Bob G. said...

I don't believe they do....all they "probably" do is haul in out on days such as this and "dust it off"...(sadly).

B.G.

Jana said...

Found this link from a blog community:

http://onedetroitnetwork.blogspot.com/2006/08/why-martin-luther-king-jr-was.html

read the post entitled Why Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican by Frances Rice (Thursday, August 24, 2006).

I thought you would find it VERY interesting.

:)

Jana said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jana said...

OK, looks like the linkie won't workie.

He's on the same blogie thingie as you use. His user name/blog name thingie is:

One Detroit Network

:)

Tim Zank said...

Good post B.G.

common sense rearin' it's ugly head again, eh?

Bob G. said...

Yeah Tim...my therapist says I have GOT to stop doing that...it's a severe character flaw on my part...just like honesty and patriotism!

(personally, I think he's a "dem")

LMAO!

;)