Harmony:Pursuing The Dream

When the sun shines through that opened window on an early Sunday morning, the black man sitting in that old wooden chair feels the same warmth that the little white girl across the street feels as she rides her tricycle along the sidewalk. Neither person realizes that the other is different, for they are at peace in the sun's bright, warm rays. The sun doesn't see their differences, for the sun has no prejudices. They are equal, for nature shows no discriminations. A flower can be picked by anyone of any race. Water will run through a black person's fingers the same as it will through a white person's. The sun will shine on anyone's skin.

Imagine mankind being as indiscriminate as nature. Everyone would be equal, having equal opportunities. Everyone would live in peace, not worrying about racial issues or discriminations between genders. Each man would be free to pursue his dream, because there would be o prejudices to hinder him from developing his fullest potential. No one would be categorized as being black or white or male or female. People would simply be people -- free to live as individuals. The world would live in unity if mankind were like nature. But, mankind is not like nature. There is hate simply because one person is different from another. Racial tension and discrimination scar society.

Although men suffer from discrimination, some men rise above their suffering to change man's injustices. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of those men. Dr. King's dream was that men put aside their prejudices and join together as a whole. He influenced his followers to unite in peace as they marched for their beliefs. He organized peaceful demonstrations to unite men in their search for equality. Through peaceful and cooperative methods, he tried to unify diverse segments of society for the greater good of man. Although he underwent harsh attacks of violence and verbal abuse, he pursued his dream and was unwavering in his decision to better life not only in the South but in the world as a whole. Dr. King devoted his life to his dream of harmony among men.

When Dr. King attended the ceremony in which he was presented with the Medallion of Honor, he vowed, "I am returning with a deeper conviction that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time - the need for men to end the oppression and violence of racial persecution, destructive poverty, and war without resorting to violence and oppression... Yes, our souls have been tried in the cold and bitter Valley Forges of the Deep South, and the black and white together, we have met the test. We shall overcome."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died in his fight to "overcome" prejudices between black and white people, but he will always be remembered as one of the world's greatest martyrs. His never ending battle to end discrimination will still continue in those who take the stand for justice, and his words will echo through the minds of all who will just take the time to listen. The struggle for unity is one of the greatest issues among men, but the struggle can be ended. Man must put aside his prejudices and present himself as nature does. Just as nature shows her warmth with anyone of any race, so much man through the warmth of compassion and love which overcomes the bitterness and hatred produced by racial tension. When that happens, man will have met the challenge offered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke the words, "free at last! Free at last! Thank God all might, ... free at last!"