Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today the nation paused to honor the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of the most important and influential leaders in American history and African American culture. On April 10, 1960, Dr. King addressed the students of Spelman College on Founders Day in a speech entitled “Keep Moving from This Mountain”. In this speech, Dr. King highlighted the mountains of relativism, materialism, segregation, and violence that must be overcome in order for society to make progress and for humanity to survive.
While reading his words, I noticed that the issues he addressed then sadly still exist today. I could not decide if he was speaking prophetically or if the issues that were present then have not noticeably changed. Maybe a little bit of both. He also challenged his listeners to have faith and to love people but not the evil things that they do. Dr. King ended his speech by motivating his audience to move away from the mountains that hinder progress and on to the Promised Land of freedom and unity.
Whether you agree with Dr. King's viewpoints or not, you have to admit that our nation has a long way to go to reach the Promised Land. The four mountains he referred to then are still standing today along with many others. Some people have chosen to camp out at these mountains, others are indifferent, and some have courageously fought to move forward. Regardless of what group you identify yourself with, we all carry some responsibility for the state in which our nation is in.
Not only did our nation come to mind after reading this speech but I also began to think about the mountains that we face personally that hinder progress towards growth, achieving goals, and living our best life. The mountains of fear, complacency, and making excuses are quite common. I am sure you can think of plenty more examples. Most if not all people desire a Promised Land which we can equate to a better version of ourselves and a better life. However, not all of us are willing to leave the mountains and temporarily sacrifice so that we can reach our desired destination.
Whatever the mountains are that impede your progress, I encourage you to keep moving forward in 2018 to your desired Promised Land. Walk away from the things, people, and mindsets that prevent you from accomplishing your goals. I agree that it may be hard but that’s what sacrifice is all about; doing what is hard now in order to have something better later. I admit that focusing on the Promised Land can be overwhelming at times but remember to take small steps each day towards what you are aiming for and it will pay off in the long run. Celebrate reaching your small milestones and let that motivate you to continue to work towards the larger goal. If you experience a setback, learn from it, and get back on track. Hopefully, at the end of the year you will be able to look back and see great progress. Most importantly, you will have achieved your goals and reached your Promised Land. In the words of Dr. King, “if you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving”.