Advancing The Dream

A Time to Reflect, Imagine, and Build the Future

One man’s nightmare might be another man’s dream but what makes a dream different from a nightmare is simply an action. A continuous action then makes a dream triumph into reality. America as a case study….

Reflecting on past experiences:

“We have before us, the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of Love into the veins of our civilization.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The dream to eradicate discrimination and segregation to create genuine love and true freedom is very remarkable to advance. I shared such a dream. Sharing such a great dream made me come up with the below few points after several meditations without any biased mind.

It is high time to stop wishing and start implementing. It is time to stop criticizing and start reflecting. It is time to stop modernized colonization and start justifying what a true democracy is. Many times, we all act not to know what we knew and rather maintain diplomacy. I think it is time to start reflecting on our past experiences, imagining a better-united nation, and a prosperous future for the upcoming generations.

It is disheartening to see that the sacrifices and works of many human rights Activists are not made worthwhile by failing to implement their demands and critics. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared the “I have a dream” speech in 1963 after the emancipation proclamation, America’s democracy was hoped to be a turnaround. It was expected to be a democratic government that does not prioritize some communities over others. It was expected to be a call that would eradicate all forms of ethnocentrism and racism as many hopes were raised and convinced. But unfortunately, the system took up another phase of practicing its democracy.

The advocacy for freedom, justice, and love, is not just about emancipation but the spread of genuine love and the creation of a firm bond of humanity norms practices. That all men are created equal, and none should be prioritized over the other is a great acknowledgment. However, if the government’s responsibility remains to protect that natural right, it calls much more than proclamation but also the eradication of the known conflicting factors. A true humanity thread should not be based on color, race, religion, language, or any other distinguishing factors. It should be about care and love. Many residents of the United States of America, whether here voluntarily or not are ready to work and live together as brothers and sisters but the echo voices from the political system are making them dance to its tune, indirectly. Now, let’s talk about how education can contribute to creating a more enabling environment sauced with genuine love, total freedom, and justice.

Moving Forward:

“The function of education is to teach one to think critically and intellectually — the goal of a true education is intelligence plus character.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Many students today go to school without leaving with the societal norms of giving back to the world morally, intellectually, and genuinely. Education is not just about the fun, reading, speaking, and writing alone. It is mostly about intellectual development, personal and interpersonal skills. The way we treat others talks more about who we are and our level of education. And that’s true education. I, therefore, propose that we students start contributing to the freedom, justice, and genuine love dream advancement. We can show it to the world that the sacrifices and works of a Legend like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have value and importance to world peace. We can make it happen. Our parents and grandparents might have gotten it wrong and not see it the way our current generation is, however, they can learn from us. We can change them. We can convince them.

When we act differently and respectfully in the societal world, people will learn from us, and that in turn, adds value and honor to education. Additionally, civilization might be turning us around, the social media might be negatively impacting our interpersonal orientation, but our level of education should enable us to differentiate what is wholly true and what is not. Our level of education should support our research of what is right and what is not. When we do this, we pave ways for a true democracy to prevail and as well appreciate our past Patriots’ sacrifices for freedom, justice, and equality.

Letting go of the Past:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness — only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate — only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Generational Inheritance mythology especially through religion is a big factor contributing to disunity among Humanity. Focusing on human factors such as race, gender, and culture — many parents with old centuries orientation and ideas tend to pass them to their children. When such children do not let their education reflects outstandingly in their way of life about what’s been told and/or narrated, they will also pass those mentalities to their children. Our current 21st-century generation can end this; it starts from all of us by orienting our families and making them benefit from what we have known to be right and not what is socially broadcasted. That would be a better way of exercising our civilization.

From my personal experiences, I have learned that many of us fear involvement with unknown cultures or practices. This is somewhat true and understandable, however, when we are intentional with our interactions, love will always prevail, and things will take care of themselves. We need to start putting our negative instilled orientation by peer groups, parents, or teachers aside and start practicing love, honesty, and kindness if we truly crave for a world to live in peace and harmony. When we start learning to accommodate each other, treat others the same way we would like to be treated, show respect to others, we will get to be united as a big human family.

As Lonnie Rashid Lynn (Common) detailed in his Memoir, “Let Love Have the Last Word”, every individual has their bad sides and flaws, but letting go of these flaws will enable us to adapt and be ready to welcome positive changes.

Paying the Price:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It is no doubt, that segregation and discrimination of all kinds is problem humanity has been facing and still experiencing. Today, more than any other time in our history, reflecting on the effects of these negative acts is a paramount step to take. This will enable civilization to be of high honor and again, pave way for true democracy. You would agree with me, that the future will hope to see — filled with genuine love and true freedom can only happen if we start implementing the opportunities we have today. Today was once said to be a tomorrow, yesterday.

“I propose to take our countrymen’s claims of American exceptionalism seriously, which is to say I propose subjecting our country to an exceptional moral standard” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the world and me, p8). Additionally, paying the price for better human experiences requires upholding a high level of morals. To teach students at schools, kids at home, employees at work, and keep working on developing these until better interpersonal relationships filled with genuine love and care in the society start unveiling. It is time we start being humans and not just human beings.

Thank you for taking out the time to read this piece. If you find this impactful, kindly share it with families and friends. Don’t forget to give it a clap as well — it is simply an encouragement. Feel free to leave any comment and any inquiry can be sent to talk2kaag@gmail.com. Join me on Instagram