Photo: D. Paul Graham, ‘A Place of Worship, a Place of History’, Savannah circa 2022

“Monday 5 Things”™…..One Dream…..

Taking a long mid-afternoon walk this week to clear my head, I watched two people arguing at a stop sign. Both yelling vindictive things at each other with expletives interjected almost every third word or so. My walk took me by the Second African Baptist Church on Houston Street. The church has as an incredible history. It was at this church that General Sherman read the Emancipation Proclamation to Savannah in 1864. Almost a century later, in 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr., read parts of his “I Have a Dream” sermon in the church before he took his March on Washington in August of that same year. Reflecting on the anger I was witnessing of the two people I encountered, I had to wonder if King’s message would even be heard at this time when there are so many violent actions, destructive thoughts, and angry words in our world today. This morning’s M5T once again draws on the profound words of a man whose dream is a legacy for us all.

1. One Mindset.

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”

2. One Life.

“You will change your mind; You will change your looks; You will change your smile, laugh, and ways but no matter what you change, you will always be you.”

“Every man lives in two realms: the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live.”

3. One Measure.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

“The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.”

4. One World.

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.”

5. One Decision.

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”

“I came to the conclusion that there is an existential moment in your life when you must decide to speak for yourself; nobody else can speak for you.”

Here’s to a week of dreams with purpose, change for the right reasons, and building a life that leaves a legacy for the better of all.

© 2022 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 10 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T ™.  Each Monday, Paul shares his observations, thoughts and passions on people, life, and culture.

You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is also a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can be found on Instagram @dpgraham and atwww.imageGRAHAM.com . Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com