Photo by firepile
On August 28, 1963, the world stood with poise as the beloved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his most infamous speech, “I have a dream.” His fearless voice was heard, and still today, many remain in awe that such a man once walked the streets of this country that we proudly call our own. Years pass and memories fade, but today on the anniversary of his passing, in this ever more complicated world, I ask, “What is your dream?”
Just days after graduating college, I hit the road with my father to catch a glimpse of the U.S.A., the country regarded by many as the freest of all nations. But as I slouched on a bench in Philadelphia watching my father lift his arms to the sky, an officer indifferently waived his metal detector back and forth searching for a symbol of hatred. Soon after, I stood face to face with the Liberty Bell suggesting to my father that we have not gained more freedom, but rather freedom from. In our pursuit to eradicate hatred throughout much of the world, have we once again responded with hate?
The Liberty Bell no longer rings; however, it still lives in the hearts of many. For some, the bell symbolized this nation’s Declaration of Independence; for abolitionists, a symbol of peoples’ struggle for equal rights. It reminds me that we live like caged birds that vaguely remember what its like to fly.
I am not advocating for the removal of block barricades in the nations’ capital, the dispersal of officers that stand with pride at Independence Hall, or the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. These actions need further discussion, but freedom means different things to different people, and let us not forget what it meant to the founders of this country, nor the natives whom it was taken from.
I cannot negate that we live in a time where fearing that which is different can ease the mind. It is not our inability to secure freedom that disturbs me the most, but our false consciousness that we have maintained it. Many say that sacrifices are necessary to secure freedom, but is it our freedom that we sacrifice?
I agree with the late president Franklin D. Roosevelt who said, “That the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” If fear is our destination, than so be it. But don’t forget that another path still remains, a path that taken by the fearless Martin Luther King Jr.
Originally written on 8/3/2003.
Jason Simon
think open, think different
