What is your dream?

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!^” Martin Luther King.

I also have a dream. My dream is as one with the dream of the Great King. I desire equality, unity, and spiritual freedom. It is for this purpose that I chose Martin Luther.  

In a world where the gravity of social consciousness is weighted heavily and effects deeply our decision making process, it is not always easy to do what is right. It is not always easy to commit to our individual sight of how the world should be. It is not always easy to believe that one person can make a difference.

Martin Luther King proved that one person can. Martin Luther did right because right was an inherent part of his design (Kohlberg’s Post-Conventional Level of Moral Reasoning). In the first part of my paper, I gave background information on his childhood and upbringing. The purpose of this investigation was to show elements of M.L. King that most of us do not know. I wondered if it were innate in him to spiritually become the power filled force he was to be remembered as, or was it predominantly due to his upbringing.

His behavioral conditioning certainly must be factored in as he had a very strong, hard-working, intellectual father; a mother that was loving and nurturing; and a very special connection with his Nana. However, I feel we must delve deeper into his psyche to truly gain what needs to be seen about Martin Luther King.

He entered this world ready to fight. He entered this world sensitive to the needs of others. He entered this world willing to learn and work hard to perpetuate necessary change.

From a humanistic approach, and with regard to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I feel that his foundation was incredibly strong. His goal was incredibly high and he had all the support needed to actually become the best of himself. All his basic needs were met and his family’s strength set him free and allowed him to traverse through Maslow’s structure and take it all the way to self-actualization.

He had the right to be angry. He had the right to fight for his people. He had the right to express his deep frustration with the societal hypocrisy around him. However, he still refused to advocate violence. Step outside the box with me momentarily if you will. Using Drive Reduction theories, perhaps we could imagine that M.L. King saw the society around him as a breathing organism. He saw the imbalance. He saw what could be done to breed change. He threw his heart, back and soul into arduous attempts to return societal degradation to homeostasis. He recognized Carl Rogers stated truth, “Congruent communication breeds change.”

In 1964, M.L. became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial discrimination and segregation. He used methods of a non-violent nature communicated through civil disobedience. His passion is intoxicating as you listen to his delivery of his “I Have a Dream” Speech.

I think through emotion culture and social referencing a lot of the masses in tune with him were affected deeply by his passion and thus became mirrors of the values he ardently expressed. He was a great leader, and even his untimely assassination could not stop the exponential force of his Dream.

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

May we all remember to dream. One person can breed positive change. We are a powerful force. The mind is a powerful weapon. Peace is possible. What is your dream?