"I HAVE A DREAM" (1963)
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
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.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi - from every mountainside.
Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and 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!"
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
HAPPINESS ......an elusive commodity
What is happiness?
Is it warm, fresh, Crispy-Creme Doughnuts . . . that are free have no fat, no calories, and you can eat as many as you want without throwing up!
Is it generally something that single people think married people have; married people think single people have; working people think retired people have; retired people think working people have; employees think bosses have; bosses think employees have; poor people think rich people have; sick people think healthy people have, young people think old people have, old people think young people have, and so on.
Every day, we humans are in the pursuit of happiness, but have we ever stopped to consider the definition of the pursuit of happiness, so what is the pursuit of happiness?
Consider for example, I want to pick up this book, I don’t need to pursue it, it’s not moving, so I simply reach out and pick it up but on the other hand if someone stole my bag I would chase after it, pursue it actively, pursuit then means actively working to reach a goal.
I define happiness as contentment with ones daily life, hence the pursuit of happiness is ‘actively working to achieve daily contentment.
People sometimes assume they would get happiness, if they found the perfect guy, or got the perfect job, or married the best, or got the best marks…people expect that, but we fail to understand that by waiting for life’s big events we often miss out on the small yet meaningful events in life, when was the last time you woke up early to watch the sunrise? Or drove to a garden an admired the beautiful flowers. So the trick to achieving happiness here is to appreciate the finer things in life.
Today in the modern society we live in, we are so tangled in our own day-to-day activities, that we completely lose ourselves in our business, school, and social lives. That we don’t stop and take time of, yes we are busy…but it wouldn’t hurt to go for a movie, pick up a book at the bookshop, or buy a bunch of flowers for you! Do what you enjoy, make time for me-time…put a smile on your face, because remember it takes 50 muscles to frown but just 13 to smile… so show those pearly whites and start smiling here and now.
There is a cliché that’s about seeing the glass as half-full or half-empty, unlike other clichés this one is true…its what you choose to do. How often do we find ourselves saying “ I am so stressed with all this school work” be grateful you have the opportunity to go to school or “ my parents are driving me crazy, I jus can’t take it anymore” be glad that you have parents and you are not orphaned, and left to live life on your own. Happiness is seeing the glass half-full all the time.
There is a saying in the English language that says, when you complain about your shoes look at the man who has no feet, by thinking about other people, we are put in perspective to who we are and how fortunate we really are, so by doing things for other people and involving yourself in caring for the old, or looking after a disabled person…makes one realize how lucky we actually are. We are put in check about other people’s worry and our little problems in life often become less significant.
With the continuous development of technology, and the evolving wonderful world that surrounds us, science and psychologists have even created gymnasiums specially designed to train a person to be happy… happy people have been proved to be more resilient therefore making them live longer, they enjoy life more, they get sick less often, and good things happen to them. But not all of us are born happy but we all can learn to be positive, optimism is a taught quality, and anyone can do it, no matter who you are, or where you come from… it’s all about opening your heart to the endless possibilities, it is the start of something new.
Can we be guaranteed happiness, no this is not a car or a phone, and life has no guarantees.
Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us, which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves. Wise words from Helen Keller.
Is it warm, fresh, Crispy-Creme Doughnuts . . . that are free have no fat, no calories, and you can eat as many as you want without throwing up!
Is it generally something that single people think married people have; married people think single people have; working people think retired people have; retired people think working people have; employees think bosses have; bosses think employees have; poor people think rich people have; sick people think healthy people have, young people think old people have, old people think young people have, and so on.
Every day, we humans are in the pursuit of happiness, but have we ever stopped to consider the definition of the pursuit of happiness, so what is the pursuit of happiness?
Consider for example, I want to pick up this book, I don’t need to pursue it, it’s not moving, so I simply reach out and pick it up but on the other hand if someone stole my bag I would chase after it, pursue it actively, pursuit then means actively working to reach a goal.
I define happiness as contentment with ones daily life, hence the pursuit of happiness is ‘actively working to achieve daily contentment.
People sometimes assume they would get happiness, if they found the perfect guy, or got the perfect job, or married the best, or got the best marks…people expect that, but we fail to understand that by waiting for life’s big events we often miss out on the small yet meaningful events in life, when was the last time you woke up early to watch the sunrise? Or drove to a garden an admired the beautiful flowers. So the trick to achieving happiness here is to appreciate the finer things in life.
Today in the modern society we live in, we are so tangled in our own day-to-day activities, that we completely lose ourselves in our business, school, and social lives. That we don’t stop and take time of, yes we are busy…but it wouldn’t hurt to go for a movie, pick up a book at the bookshop, or buy a bunch of flowers for you! Do what you enjoy, make time for me-time…put a smile on your face, because remember it takes 50 muscles to frown but just 13 to smile… so show those pearly whites and start smiling here and now.
There is a cliché that’s about seeing the glass as half-full or half-empty, unlike other clichés this one is true…its what you choose to do. How often do we find ourselves saying “ I am so stressed with all this school work” be grateful you have the opportunity to go to school or “ my parents are driving me crazy, I jus can’t take it anymore” be glad that you have parents and you are not orphaned, and left to live life on your own. Happiness is seeing the glass half-full all the time.
There is a saying in the English language that says, when you complain about your shoes look at the man who has no feet, by thinking about other people, we are put in perspective to who we are and how fortunate we really are, so by doing things for other people and involving yourself in caring for the old, or looking after a disabled person…makes one realize how lucky we actually are. We are put in check about other people’s worry and our little problems in life often become less significant.
With the continuous development of technology, and the evolving wonderful world that surrounds us, science and psychologists have even created gymnasiums specially designed to train a person to be happy… happy people have been proved to be more resilient therefore making them live longer, they enjoy life more, they get sick less often, and good things happen to them. But not all of us are born happy but we all can learn to be positive, optimism is a taught quality, and anyone can do it, no matter who you are, or where you come from… it’s all about opening your heart to the endless possibilities, it is the start of something new.
Can we be guaranteed happiness, no this is not a car or a phone, and life has no guarantees.
Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us, which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves. Wise words from Helen Keller.
Monday, August 13, 2007
if you ever faced with sorrow don't let it get you down.
don't ever stop believing that happiness will come around
what is a day not followed by a night
the days of sunshine will come
the seasons will pass
let storms blow with their might
ur flame may flicker but
don't turn owt that light
thru the darkest night
thru wrong and right
we need to keep moving
however hard it may be
exhale your fear.
BE STRONG
LET THE SUNSHINE SHINE THRU
LET THE SUNSHINE SHINE THRU
Thursday, April 5, 2007
life is unfair
in life at times you expect life to go well...you want it to work bt it jus doesnt but i dont get it is a test in some wierd way mayb but i know for sure im tyrd of ppl taking advantage of my feelingS jus nt rite nemre me nd to make myself strng 1nce more...........
my goals
What is a life goal?
Maybe I should start with what is a goal? My definition of a goal is when you want to do something and do whatever you can to make that important thing happen and when you try till you succeed, when you are determined to make it happen.
So then what is a life goal?
My definition of a life goal is when you want or expect certain things to happen and fall into place in your life and when you work towards making those goals happen in stages in your life basically a recipe for what the mixture of the batter must be to make the perfect cake but in this case the batter is the little sometimes big goals you need or want to make the beautiful cake that is life.
What are my life goals? Before I go and state what all I want in my life I must tell you what I think life is life is about trust, compassion, and happiness. Avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance and building confidence. It’s not about what you do it’s about what you mean. It’s about seeing people for who they are and not for what they have.
That is my idea of what life should be.
Apart from finishing matric with 7A’s, getting into the best university, working hard and becoming and making my dream happen and that is to become a doctor…get a good job drive a nice car, wear the best clothes…be perfect, settle down marry a lovely husband, have a good marriage, have children who become the apple of my eye, be a good mother, be a good role-model. Yeah those are life goals that I want for me but much more than that I want a life that I am happy, a life that I touch someone in some way that can never be achieved otherwise. I want to replace that inner hate with love. Lives in which I know who my friends are and who my enemies are. A life where I know who I am. A life where I know individually as a person I am amazing, standing on my own two feet accomplishing new things everyday. I want to live my life remarkably.
I don’t want to spend 60 seconds in my life upset and down because that is a minute I’ll never get back, I don’t want to be afraid that my life will end I want to be afraid that it will never begin.
I want to fail in life because I don’t see it a incapacity…but instead in order for me to be a winner then its not succeed that I need to master is failure…you may be thinking what is wrong with me I am wanting to fail I admit it sounds bizarre but truly speaking I have nothing to lose only but one thing and that is my fear of losing. I want to set boundaries for myself, I want people to know what is acceptable to me and what is not, I want to know what my own limits and principals are and I want others to know as well. I want to set personal boundaries for myself so that I don’t have to be a sitting duck for all sort of problems and heartaches. To sum all that up I want to know where my place in the sun is. I want the world to become my playground where I set my rules for my game of life.These are the choices I choose to be my life goals.
Maybe I should start with what is a goal? My definition of a goal is when you want to do something and do whatever you can to make that important thing happen and when you try till you succeed, when you are determined to make it happen.
So then what is a life goal?
My definition of a life goal is when you want or expect certain things to happen and fall into place in your life and when you work towards making those goals happen in stages in your life basically a recipe for what the mixture of the batter must be to make the perfect cake but in this case the batter is the little sometimes big goals you need or want to make the beautiful cake that is life.
What are my life goals? Before I go and state what all I want in my life I must tell you what I think life is life is about trust, compassion, and happiness. Avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance and building confidence. It’s not about what you do it’s about what you mean. It’s about seeing people for who they are and not for what they have.
That is my idea of what life should be.
Apart from finishing matric with 7A’s, getting into the best university, working hard and becoming and making my dream happen and that is to become a doctor…get a good job drive a nice car, wear the best clothes…be perfect, settle down marry a lovely husband, have a good marriage, have children who become the apple of my eye, be a good mother, be a good role-model. Yeah those are life goals that I want for me but much more than that I want a life that I am happy, a life that I touch someone in some way that can never be achieved otherwise. I want to replace that inner hate with love. Lives in which I know who my friends are and who my enemies are. A life where I know who I am. A life where I know individually as a person I am amazing, standing on my own two feet accomplishing new things everyday. I want to live my life remarkably.
I don’t want to spend 60 seconds in my life upset and down because that is a minute I’ll never get back, I don’t want to be afraid that my life will end I want to be afraid that it will never begin.
I want to fail in life because I don’t see it a incapacity…but instead in order for me to be a winner then its not succeed that I need to master is failure…you may be thinking what is wrong with me I am wanting to fail I admit it sounds bizarre but truly speaking I have nothing to lose only but one thing and that is my fear of losing. I want to set boundaries for myself, I want people to know what is acceptable to me and what is not, I want to know what my own limits and principals are and I want others to know as well. I want to set personal boundaries for myself so that I don’t have to be a sitting duck for all sort of problems and heartaches. To sum all that up I want to know where my place in the sun is. I want the world to become my playground where I set my rules for my game of life.These are the choices I choose to be my life goals.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
love makez the world go round : a poem works wen it with the rite person
I awake every morning, with a sad and sorrowful heart.
I wonder how much longer, we’re going to be apart.
Every 24hrs I spend without you is another empty day.
All I want to do is pack up and run away.
I long to be at your side once more, to hold you in my arms.
To hold your beautiful hands again and kiss you on your palms.
I need to stare into your eyes to see the truth inside.
To know deep within me, you love nobody else beside me.
I miss playing with your gorgeous hair, running it through my fingers.
Every single time I think of you, the pang in my heart lingers. . .
I will never be happy without you, never rest content.
Those three words I said to you, with every part of my being were meant.
Our hearts beat together, it could never be any other way.
All I really want is to be with you for one more day.
I think about you every night, tears roll down my cheeks.
I can’t seem to stop wondering . . . will it be months or weeks?
You’re all I ever think about, you control my every thought.
I wonder at the beauty of it that we have never ever fought.
You’re the first I’ve ever loved, and you’ll be the last.
Let us look toward the future, to forget our aching past.
I think of how you taught me to love, taught me how to share.
You held my hand and stared into my eyes, instantly my soul was bare.
I can’t do without you; you’re like the blood in my veins.
I need you as the Sahara Desert, desperately needs the rains.
If you ever have to hurt me, I’ll never recover the blow.
You’re the only one for me, there’s nobody else I know.
You make me feel whole again, like a jigsaw put together.
Unlike a cow . . . made into finest leather!
All I want is to hold you once more, to tell you how I feel.
I gave you my heart. Not even death can tear us apart.
I love you. . . .
I wonder how much longer, we’re going to be apart.
Every 24hrs I spend without you is another empty day.
All I want to do is pack up and run away.
I long to be at your side once more, to hold you in my arms.
To hold your beautiful hands again and kiss you on your palms.
I need to stare into your eyes to see the truth inside.
To know deep within me, you love nobody else beside me.
I miss playing with your gorgeous hair, running it through my fingers.
Every single time I think of you, the pang in my heart lingers. . .
I will never be happy without you, never rest content.
Those three words I said to you, with every part of my being were meant.
Our hearts beat together, it could never be any other way.
All I really want is to be with you for one more day.
I think about you every night, tears roll down my cheeks.
I can’t seem to stop wondering . . . will it be months or weeks?
You’re all I ever think about, you control my every thought.
I wonder at the beauty of it that we have never ever fought.
You’re the first I’ve ever loved, and you’ll be the last.
Let us look toward the future, to forget our aching past.
I think of how you taught me to love, taught me how to share.
You held my hand and stared into my eyes, instantly my soul was bare.
I can’t do without you; you’re like the blood in my veins.
I need you as the Sahara Desert, desperately needs the rains.
If you ever have to hurt me, I’ll never recover the blow.
You’re the only one for me, there’s nobody else I know.
You make me feel whole again, like a jigsaw put together.
Unlike a cow . . . made into finest leather!
All I want is to hold you once more, to tell you how I feel.
I gave you my heart. Not even death can tear us apart.
I love you. . . .
just a thort
Individually, you
are amazing.Standing on your own two feet, accomplishing new things every day,
moving one day closer to graduation, waking up
every
morning saying, "Ah, *&^$, I can do it again."It's
not a matter of wanting to do it, it's a matter of doing it.In
matters of the heart, education, or partying till all hours of the
night...Life
moves pretty fast. If you dont stop and look around once in
awhile, you could miss it.
Evaluate.Recognize the great people who you allow to surround you--and
recognize those that you shouldn't.Be
kind, but be picky.
Live every day as the
best
person you can be to yourself, your family, and your friends.You only get one
shot to make it remarkable.
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