• "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." • "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
• "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
• "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
• "Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right."
It was August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, when one of the defining moments in the American civil rights movement occurred in front of over two hundred thousand people as Martin Luther King, Jr. passionately shared the words, "I have a Plan..." Or, was it, "I have a Dream..." The plan wouldn't have inspired the people to pay the price of the following struggle, but the casting of a dream did. Without a dream first, nothing happens. How different is America and the rest of the world today because he dared to dream such a dream?
I hope you build the dream of your life to be big. I hope it gives you goose-bumps! In fact, I hope it is big enough that you realize you can't do it by yourself and, consequently, find yourself humbly falling to your knees for help. A small dream won’t lead you to do that. Doesn't it make sense to ask God for help? What could you accomplish with Him as your partner? More importantly, how would you accomplish it?
Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn’t only known for giving great speeches and leading people and change, but he was known for the way he did it. He believed that "the Christian doctrine of love operating through the Gandhian method of nonviolence was one of the most potent weapons available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.”(1)
In his own words:
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.This is not an article regarding nonviolent resistance nor should it confuse anyone as to my feelings of sincere and deep gratitude for all the many soldiers who are serving and sacrificing currently for the cause of freedom. Rather, on this day of Martin Luther King, Jr., I am noting that not only did he own a big dream, but he also carefully considered the method by which he chose to fulfill it.
You may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. You may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate, nor establish love. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Those who chase their dream with the ‘whatever it takes’ attitude will, unfortunately, have quite an awakening when they realize they sacrificed something greater than their dream if the process wasn’t in alignment with their Core Values. Without clarity of our Core Values and a commitment to making decisions in alignment to them, we will naturally default to fear-based decision making. That is, we will make decisions in our own best interest at the moment in order to avoid the manifestations of our fears.
For example, suppose it is recommended to you to do something at work that compromises your integrity. Internally, it may not 'feel' right. But, if you are not clear on your Core Values or committed to Core-Value decision making, you may well find yourself doing that something out of a fear—in this case, the fear of financial-insecurity. You did it because you feared what you may face financially if you didn’t.
The Christian worldview believes that God will provide for our needs so there is no reason to ever compromise our values. Have you ever noticed how many dramatic changes in the world came from men and women of great faith? Great faith leads to great courage. Or, as the Roman philosopher and orator, Cicero said, “A man of courage is also full of faith.”
In upcoming posts, I will discuss the extreme importance of defining, prioritizing and living by your Core Values. I’ll discuss apparent value-conflicts as well as the ‘Should-Values’ that we mistake as Core Values. Sound boring? Well, if it is excitement that you are looking for, then try recovering from bad decision making due to unclear Core Values. That will spice up your life!
Making decisions that maintain alignment between your actions and your Core Values is a key to inner peace. It’s about ‘supporting yourself’. On this great day of celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and contribution, I want to encourage you to dream big, seek His guidance, and stay true to yourself.
(1) King Jr., Martin Luther, "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence.” The Christian Century 77 (13 April 1960), pp. 439-41.
