Lynn Baber… for love of God and horses

On this Martin Luther King Day I was inspired to watch his 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial. What exactly was King’s dream? Has any of it been realized; do we yet hope for the dream to materialize? Or, has the dream turned into a nightmare?

The politics associated with the passage of the MLK holiday became an impediment to the dream itself. President Reagan signed the law in 1983; the last state to step into line was South Carolina, in 2000. If memory serves, the resistance to MLK Day wasn’t based so much on race, as the precedent it set by carving out federally mandated honors for any single man other than a President.

“Demonstration of Freedom”

Dr. King self-titled the 1963 gathering in Washington as a ”Demonstration of Freedom.” Who could take issue with that?

What freedoms did King petition for? Freedom from (forced) segregation, discrimination, and from being “exiled to an island of poverty in an ocean of prosperity.”

The check came back marked ‘insufficient funds’

Martin Luther King, Jr. called upon the people of the United States to make good the check written by Abraham Lincoln that acknowledged the right of every citizen to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Again, who would take issue with this? Dr. King did not demand unearned benefits for anyone other than the riches of “freedom, security and justice.”

Dr. King’s text stated, “this is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”

Who is responsible to make the dream come true?

The answer to that question is based entirely upon whose dream is being discussed. Is this the dream only of the Negro? (The reference used most frequently in Dr. King’s speech.) Or, does the citizenry as a whole share this dream?

The one responsible for making any dream come true is the one who had the dream in the first place.

Dr. King’s dream has been so politically-hyped over the past 47 years that the self-appointed interpreters of dreams have turned it from a rainbow worthy dream into a nasty nightmare. The motivation is often personal greed. There are two main reasons for any political action; conviction and greed. Often a skilled judge is needed to discern one from the other. I pray we judge aright.

Dr. King can no more correct the record on what his dream really looked like than John F. Kennedy can chastise present day politicians (of either party) for taxing our economy into submission.

If freedom, justice, and the pursuit of happiness is the dream of every American, then it is the responsibility of every American to make it come true. This accountability does not vary based upon skin color or ethnicity.

My dream…

… and my interpretation of Dr. King’s dream, is a United States with:

No entitlements, which only exacerbate segregation.
No forced segregation, but a recognition of personal preferences.
Honor afforded to all who earn it.
Financial reward commensurate with achievement.
Equal access to education.
Equal objective application of all laws.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that we would be judged on the content of our character, recognizing that final judgment will be made by One much more powerful than any politician. If you share this dream, the responsibility for achieving that dream rests on us all.