On the power of dreams

I am writing this on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and it’s got me thinking about worthy legacies and living in such a way as to leave one behind. Often when we think of great men and women of history, we forget that they were like us: warts and all. They were not born great (yes, I know the Winston Churchill quote about some being born great, and I don’t agree with it because greatness and privilege are two different things), but they became great. They achieved greatness.

MLK wasn’t born fully formed. He didn’t just pop up, preaching and giving eloquent speeches that have stood the test of time. He was once a cranky baby. He once had snot running down his nose.  He was once a little boy who ran around and played and fell and cried. He did not have two heads. He was simply a normal human being who got angry enough about the status quo (there’s something to be said for righteous anger) and dared to make a change (there’s something to be said for courage).  He wasn’t a saint (there are enough stories that testify to his flaws) but he had a heart large enough that made him uncomfortable with fighting for just himself and his personal gains (all those supporting corruption and nonsense because it benefits you pay attention oo).

He promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience as means of achieving racial equality and social justice (proving that there are things truly mightier than the sword) and inconvenienced himself to pursue them. Today, he is deservedly being remembered. Schools and government offices are closed all because of one man, a mere man like you and I whose message of love, whose courage and compassion, whose life continues to inspire millions all over the world.  

MLK’s “I have a dream” speech is arguably one of the most famous and one of the most memorised speeches of all time. Even a child knows the refrain, “I have a dream.” The success of that speech in galvanising the civil rights movement and its enduring popularity is testament to the power of words. However, it is illustrative of the power of dreams. 

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When the 1963 March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs was held, MLK had a different speech prepared, “a short and somewhat formal recitation of the sufferings of African Americans attempting to realise their freedom in a society chained by discrimination,” but according to his speechwriter, “In the seventh paragraph, something extraordinary happened. King paused. In that brief silence, Mahalia Jackson, a gospel singer and good friend of King’s, shouted “tell ‘em about the ‘dream.’” Few people heard her, with the exception of Jones, Ted Kennedy, and, of course, King. Here’s what happened next…King push(ed) the text of his prepared remarks to one side of the lectern. He shifted gears in a heartbeat, abandoning whatever final version he’d prepared…he’d given himself over to the spirit of the moment.”  And

“Encouraged by shouts from the audience, King drew upon some of his past talks, and the result became the landmark statement of civil rights in America — a dream of all people, of all races and colours and backgrounds, sharing in an America marked by freedom and democracy.”

MLK’s mission really began with a dream. He dared to dream big dreams of freedom and equality at a time when many would have considered his dreams ludicrous and impossible. Imagine dreaming that his children would live in a nation where they’d be judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their hearts when Black people couldn’t even vote. And yet, his children have lived to see a Black man occupy the White House and an African American/South Asian woman become the vice president of the United States. What are your dreams? How audacious are they?

We must remember that nothing can happen until we dream it. Every action begins with our belief that it is possible. Dreams are free, don’t let anyone talk you out of yours. It is the dreams that fuel our motivation, guide our steps. That is why we ask our children what they want to be when they grow up, and where it is sensible to and we can, we encourage their dreams, no matter how big those dreams are.

On this MLK day, let his life inspire us to seek to speak truth to power, to dream boldly and to sow seeds that future generations will reap the harvests of. Let us be inspired to fight for those who are oppressed, to live a life that ensures that we leave this world – or our bit of it- better than we met it. Let us all live a purposeful life. Dream big dreams. Dream good dreams.