I (too) Have a Dream
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday, celebrating the freedom of opportunity and civil equality of all people. MLK Day is a BIG Deal in Chicago, my hometown. In fact, every year at our Speech Contests there was at least one I Have a Dream Speech. I’ve heard this speech more than any other and its message of FREEDOM resonates with me to this day. I just watched it on YouTube again, as I do every year this day.
I too have a dream of Freedom. My dream is to free as many people as I possibly can from the bonds of Negativity, Failure and Despair. Not Institutional Oppression, like Dr. King, but Personal, and at times Self-Inflicted, Oppression.
My vehicle is not the National Stage, but through my martial arts classes, a more intimate environment but a powerful platform nonetheless. It is not one grandiose speech but daily, consistent short speeches to our students and parents. The kind of speeches that do more than inspire, through constant repetition they move students to ACT in countless small ways that make a Big Difference in their lives over time.
Based on the boxes of letters I’ve received over the years, I’d say my dream too has become and is becoming a reality each day.
But my work is not done. Far from it.
I have a dream to free AS MANY PEOPLE AS I POSSIBLY CAN from the bonds of Negativity, Failure and Despair and to live a GOOD LIFE FULL OF PURPOSE.
For that, I need your help.
My Dream is to help others fulfill THEIR Dreams, however big or small, so if you know anyone who would benefit from fulfilling their dreams and living a Good Life Full of Purpose through our martial arts programs, please invite them to come talk to me.
Thank you Dr. King.