Can we ever move beyond dreaming?

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the famous speech by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, known today as the "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" speech. It, among other sermons and speeches by Dr. King, is considered a classic of American rhetoric.

That was not Dr. King's intent, of course. He did not give the speech in order to have people later talk about how powerful it is. King's purpose was to galvanize people to change the unjust situation of the sanitation workers in Memphis Tennessee. The closing paragraph of the speech is worth noting here:
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

In the body of his remarks, Dr. King painted a vision of what life in America should be like. He dreamed of a country where people were judged on the basis of their character, not the color of their skin. He dreamed of a country where all who were poor and marginalized would move into the mainstream of the country.

Those were Dr. King's dreams 40 years ago. Of course, we all remember that on the following day, Dr. King was assassinated. How far have we progressed in achieving those dreams since then? It is remarkable that we have a man of African-American descent running for president, another sitting on the Supreme Court, and an African-American woman serving as Secretary of State. Those are good things, but the very fact that these are examples brought forward to highlight our progress in these areas show how little we have actually progressed. It seems to me that, if we had fulfilled the dreams that King had, we would not notice anything remarkable about Senator Obama, Justice Thomas, and Secretary Rice.

In this endless season of campaigns for president filled with glorious promises of what will happen if only we vote for 'the right candidate', wouldn't it be great if someone put forth a clear vision for a just and equitable society for all Americans and have the political courage to effect ways to make it happen. Maybe, some day, we can move beyond dreaming and make it a reality.