Making The Connection: Is The Dream Closer To Reality?

This week is an exciting and historic time in the history of our country. On Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44^th President of the United States and whether or not you cast your vote for him, his election represents a unique opportunity to begin to make a quantum leap in both our social and evolutionary consciousness.

Obama’s election may serve as an opportunity for our nation to collectively turn inward, coming face to face with the difficult reality of our nation’s cruel legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, overt racism, White Supremacy and widespread injustice as a result and manifestation of these cruel distinctions. It also affords us the blessed opportunity to seize this moment, to let love overflow in our hearts and use that feeling to do the sacred work of continuing to bridge the perceived indifferences between our entire human family.

The President-elect has spent the last few days making speeches, building up to that moment where he will put his hand on the Bible President Abraham Lincoln once used, to take the oath of office and become America’s next Commander-in-Chief.

Amidst the barrage of optimistic rhetoric delivered by Barack, in which he continually appealed to our higher nature, he delivered a speech calling on Americans to dedicate "more time in service of our fellow women and men." He and incoming Vice-President Joe Biden have even set up a website (http://www.usaservice.org) where our brothers and sisters can find a place to volunteer their time and help leave the world a little better than it was when they inherited it.

Obama’s inspiring speech comes as no surprise to those of us who have followed his campaign appearances closely. Both the subtle nuances and the obvious catchphrases present throughout his speeches were, by their very nature, inclusive, and often served as an appeal to our highest calling. "Yes, We Can" and "There’s nothing false about Hope," immediately come to mind, and they’re just two of the many campaign catchphrases that helped America feel a little stronger, a little more spiritually empowered, and a little more ready to serve one another and create a better community, country and world. Obama inspired us, made us feel good, and we, in turn, gave him the keys to the store and our sincere prayers and well-wishes.

His speeches also come as no surprise when you understand how our President elect feels about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In an NPR interview, Obama once called King "the clear example of the most heroic figure in American history." So, I suppose it is only fitting that the day before Obama is to be inaugurated as President, we celebrate the birthday and the legacy of the late civil rights pioneer, Dr. King.

In an era where a federal holiday and a plethora of corporate run news networks serve to both commemorate and sanitize the history of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., most of America has probably forgotten just how radical and controversial a figure he was in his time. His Holiness The Dalai Lama often points out that the radicals of this generation will be the ones who have the courage to look at a world that is segregated and divided, spiraling out of control in many ways, and react with compassion and unconditional love. He certainly could have been talking about the life of the slain civil rights leader.

I think many, if not most of us, would be hard pressed to disagree with Obama’s assessment of Dr. King. As far as I’m concerned, he was the example.

As someone whose spirituality and activism go hand-in-hand, Dr. King is a mammoth figure in my life. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that he is my hero and I don’t throw that term around very loosely. He was a complex human being, susceptible to the same kinds of flaws we all possess, and yet, he articulated a vision for a better world, a world that works for everyone. He was an awakened being who took action, with both courage and compassion, refusing to waver in his faith and in his passion for equality for all people. Dr. King sowed the seeds of love, while railing against the harsh face of injustice. He fought tirelessly, for change, for equality, for the future, for a better world for all of God’s children.

As you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy today, please remember the opposition the Reverend faced for speaking truth to power. His family suffered brutal racism, horrific attacks, he was harassed, beaten, thrown in jail and ridiculed by law enforcement, by the media and by the Government. And ultimately, Dr. King gave his life for his vision, because what was right, was worth dying for.

He gave his life to all of us, for the highest calling; the cause of love and equality. And it is precisely because Dr. King gave his life, a biracial man named Barack Obama could one day grow up to lead a nation that was heavily segregated at the time of his birth.

Forty years after Dr. Kings death, we will have an African American President. Maybe, just maybe, we can finish what my hero started. Maybe, we can finally fulfill that dream. Is Tuesday’s inauguration a baby step, or is it, perhaps, a quantum leap?