The pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church this Sunday urged the congregation to maintain a spirit of perseverance. He said something to the tune of anyone can make a decision to initiate something great, but the true work occurs when you are attempting to show the fortitude to drive your something to actually becoming that next great idea, invention or movement.
Dr. Cornell West in his energetic speech on King Day echoed some of these same ideas as he spoke on how he wanted to speak about the funk of Dr. King. He discussed how the perseverance of Martin Luther King Jr. is what made him the impressive iconic symbol he still is today. This is especially inspirational to me because it was not Dr. Kings amazingly brilliant aptitude, or his riveting oratorical skills, or even his infallible leadership qualities that this scholar identified as his greatest attribute but instead Dr. West talked about Martin Luther King's resilient spirit. Resiliency is a characteristic anyone can possess and consequently I am excited because I know that in some small way I could be like one of the greatest leaders in human history.
Lastly the Good Doctor West...the one from Princeton not College Dropout. Reminded us that the greatness of America is not based in the purity of our nation but in the resilience of our people. He discussed how several groups in our history's past have single handily turned the direction of our country around from situations like slavery, depressions, drought, and colonial control.
Cornell West spoke to the legacy of Dr. King and his interpretation of what he believed the promise land looked like to Dr. King when he gave that great speech a day before is his tragic death. Within Dr. West's interpretation of Dr. King's promised land were a people driven by the prospect of change. A people who were no longer content with the inadequacies of their current nation, current situation, and ready to diligently pursue that dream. In short Dr. King's promised land was not a specific place, but more a people united under a common cause, resolved to fight injustice wherever it was apparent. Consequently I have to ask myself was Dr. King looking at us know when he said He had been to the mountain top and seen the promised land? I can not be sure, because we rest while our nation spends more money per capita on black males in jail then black males in school. It is hard to believe that he saw a people that were content with allowing nations all over the globe to live in destitution and poverty, while others enjoy prodigal riches. As a matter of fact one may even be able to see such a situation within one country. I am however inclined to believe that as a generation that all we need is a few leaders, a few people willing to actually do what everyone is saying need to be done. A few people ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of the whole, a people who will pursue the solutions to the issues they choose to address with and insoluble resolve.
All of this reminds me of a song that was made by Malik Yusef featuring Adam Levine and Kanye West called Promised Land. Its a little inspiration for the leader inside of all of us.
Oh and one last thought from the Bible story the Good Samaritan-
"If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
Let us stop and help our brothers and sisters in Hati
P. Period Out...
What?!?! No comments?!?! This was a darn good post. Thanks for taking the time to write this. I think the hardest thing for someone to do is to find their purpose. It's always good to read posts like these and hear messages from thought-provoking speakers. We should constantly be evaluating the direction of our lives and what we need to do in order to progress not only our small more familiar circles, but hopefully, we can make some larger contributions to the general society as well.
ReplyDeleteDamn good post...
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