“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today, I still have a dream.” (Martin Luther King – 1929-1968)
I didn’t realize until I was looking up the dates that defined MLK’s life that he was only 39 years old when he died. That got me thinking back to when I was 39. How about you – what were your dreams when you were 39 and do you now have new dreams for your future? And if you are approaching 39, in what do you hope, what is your dream?
It was June 30th, 1987 and in just a few days I would be leaving New Orleans to move to the Easter Shore of Virginia. I was off to be the Headmaster of a small independent school in Exmore, Virginia. The school was about 25 years old. It was in the process of finding a new vision and a new direction for itself. I hoped that I would be a part of the process of transforming the school for the benefit of the families who lived in the area. That was my dream.
I found that some families had great hope in the school, others were not so hopeful. Some had lost the vitality to keep the school moving forward. Others had had their courage and determination tested. Yet they still had a dream, a dream to which I had been invited.
As I settled in to learning about the school, its staff, life on the Eastern Shore, the aura of expectation of many connected with the school, I sensed their innate understanding of the power and promise of hope. I also sensed that our work together might result in identifying and furthering a noble purpose to unite us in mutual effort.
For those of you who are attentive to details, you may have noticed that the photo at the top of the post singles out four characteristics – dreaming, being courageous, the role of inspiration and the characteristic of harmony. Martin Luther King was acquainted with each of the four characteristics pictured.
One of the lessons I learned from my time at that independent school was that dreaming, being courageous, inspiring and being inspired, and offering hope while pursuing harmonious conditions wasn’t as easy as I had dreamed. Often, I thought back to the 39 years Martin Luther King had lived. He dreamt, he remained steadfast and courageous in the face of overwhelming upheaval, he inspired those who heard him speak and preach and challenge powerful factions with whom he was at odds, all the while seeking harmony, falling short of that goal until disharmony took his life. Yet through it all, he had a dream, he had hope. He seldom, if ever, wavered from his objective. Dr. King had a noble purpose in mind and he held on to his dream born of hope.
Without the power of hope in our lives, our dreams, our courage to act boldly, our ability to inspire and our attempts at promoting harmonious outcomes will never be complete. We will fall short of the purposes for which we were created. We will be victims of disappointment and despair.
Remember King’s words – “I have a dream.” Be willing to embrace hope so that your dream, your impact on a world needing courage and inspiration, might transform the lives of all the folks with which you will come in contact. Be filled with hope.
“Without hope men (and women – italics are mine) are only half alive. With hope they dream and think and work.” (Charles Sawyer – 1887-1979)
This is so beautifully written, Jon. Thank you for much needed inspiration.