Dream

When thinking about the video and reflecting on it, I found my reflections very different from those of which I had when I first saw the video. The first time I saw that video was either fourth or fifth grade. I can remember feeling sorry for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because of the way he was treated and that fact that his life was cut short. As I've grown and matured I believe that Dr. King wouldn't want people to feel sorry for him. I feel that MLK knew and believed that his works and his assassination served a greater purpose. He stated in the video that people who believe in something but don't fight for it are as good as dead because their soul already is. I feel that Dr. King knew that his life was in constant danger and that if or when he would be assassinated that it would only strengthen the cause he was fighting for. To this day, I'm still thankful for everything that he did because it is very possible that had it not been for his calm and rational ideas on how to make change, we could still have a country that is divided.

"I have a dream" has so many different meanings that it only matters to the person who is stating the quote. My belief is that Dr. King's dream was a world that was equal and that people were truly judged on what kind of human being they are instead of being judged on what kind of human being they look like. At the same time I think that "I have a dream" is just that, a dream. No matter how much we teach and try to make our society equal and fair, their will always be some degree of segregation whether it is based on race or not. What is probably most satisfying to MLK is that although we as a society haven't met his complete dream, we have made significant strides in improving and moving towards his dream.

Dr. King's key idea in my opinion spawns the rest of his key ideas. His key idea was peace and remaining non-violent during times in which violence would seem to be a reasonable response. He based his opinions and strategies around the ideas of Gandhi and that no matter how mean and violent people may be towards you, that they would remain peaceful. Their rallies were sit-ins, nobody was rowdy or out of control. People simple gathered peacefully. His actions and ideas were so strong that President John F. Kennedy twice signed his release from prison after he was arrested for his rallies.