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On August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the world heard the famous “I have a dream” speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King. It was a dream that spoke of throwing out the stereotypes of the past and looking forward to a brighter future. To me the most powerful line in his speech was when Dr. King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

While I in no way consider myself to be the man that Dr. King was nor am I trying to “make hay” through the use of his words, I am also a dreamer, and I have a dreamer’s dream.

My dream is a very long and complicated one and I will not try to explain it all in this one post (I bet you are thankful for that!) However, I really need to say something today because I must.

The basis of my dream is my faith and, without getting into the details of that here, suffice it to say it is the driving force in all that I do. My faith teaches me that I have an obligation to live with and to treat with dignity all of mankind whether they agree with me or whether they do not. Now within this obligation of showing dignity, I do have the right to like or not like who I choose. However, my treating someone with dignity is not determined by whether I like them personally or not.

In the realm of business, my dream is to find and work with a group of people and businesses that see the opportunities of business not just as a way of enriching themselves, but as a way of making the world a better place. I dream of a future where business owners really care for their customers/clients again and where the care of those customers goes beyond product/services and includes things that benefit their communities as well. (Philanthropy, conservation of natural resources, and care for people in need are examples of such things.)

My dream is to bring the “small town” approach back to the urban world I live in and to teach that approach to new businesses/entrepreneurs before they get entrenched in the business for profit alone mindset. I want to be able to talk to my customers, clients, and other business owners as friends and fellow members of a community rather than just those who allow my business to grow and profit.

My dream is that when I or others I have the privilege to teach treat people and the community with dignity, that the dream will spread. I dream that people will respond to this way of being treated by treating others the same way. Where conflicts exist now, they can be worked through. Where the foolishness of hatred exists, it can be defeated. And where those who refuse to see a brighter future to come will loose their positions of power and influence on those who current follow them.

I don’t know why I needed to say this today, but I did. So, there it is … the skeleton of my dream. If you would like to comment, please do. If you would like to talk about the details of the dream, I would love to do that. Just let me know.

Now, go out and live your dream!

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