Dreams to Reality.

Everyone has dreams. We all have goals and aspirations. We go off to our own world daydreaming about random things such as becoming a doctor, asking that one person out on a date, turning pro in a sport, having a family, buying a nice ride, and so on. We all fantasize what it would be life if we did this or I should have done that. The question is...do we set out to achieve them?

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and it was a big one. But because of his dream he achieved many other’s as well. His dream was a call for equality and the end to racial discrimination. He launched a non-violent protest to put an end to segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. King believed that there was no need for violence but the use of nonviolent “tension” was necessary for growth. This would help people rise from prejudice and racism, to gain a better understanding, and come together.

King was arrested the day of the march of Birmingham on April 12, 1963. In his time in jail he responded to a letter by 8 clergymen that was published in the local newspaper who said that the march was inappropriate. The famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” clearly states Martin Luther King Jr’s drive to end segregation. He took the letter as an opportunity to have his voice be heard to the public. King speaks out to everyone in his letter that injustice has taken a hold of the Civil Rights Movement and all we could do is fight for our rights with force without the use of violence. He spoke in behalf of those who didn’t have a voice and spoke for those whose voice wanted to be heard.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for one purpose and that was to have everyone unite as one. What amazes me is that it only took one voice and one man to create such a big impact to our society and to our culture. His drive and determination inspired other such as myself to get up and follow my dreams. This man’s story inspired me to believe in myself that I can accomplish something, whatever that may be. He gives me the courage to stand up and be willing to take risks. His words speak the truth that there is no time to waste and its time to turn our dreams into reality.

I feel the speech was an eye opener to many Americans’. Martin Luther King Jr. was a wise man who spoke with his heart. His dream was something his heart desired. By knowing what you want you inherit such great motivation within yourself to make a change and he is a good example to that. If it weren’t for him our country would still be waiting for a change to happen. Our time is to act now before that dream dies away.

Literacy.

Literacy is the ability to read and write and is used as part of our everyday lifestyle. I think it is the main part of life and its learning processes such as critical thinking. Without these skills you won’t have common knowledge or sense.

Education takes a big role on literacy. Without education you won’t have the knowledge to read or write. Some people don’t take it seriously such as students. I see students here in America given the opportunity to a free education and they take it for granted. Either they waste years of going or they simply choose not to go at all. I will be honest and say that I was in that place before. I always wondered why I went to school. Was it because my parents’ forced me? Or was it my decision to go? I mean who wanted to wake up and go to school Monday-Friday at 7:30 Am? Not me. If I could go back I would slap myself for complaining because I know somewhere in the world someone would kill to be in my place.  

Growing up it was easy for me to pick up reading. There was something about the contents within the books that fascinated me. After a while other things started to catch my attention such as materialistic things and friends. My social life became my focus and not school. I gave up on a lot of things and before I would blame others for putting me down and look for ways to be noticed. The only person here that is at fault is me and now I see myself trying to find those missing pieces and putting them back in. It’s frustrating to learn information you should have learned years ago and I see why my parents constantly push me about how important education is. I learned to change my attitude towards things and not complain I can’t do this or that. Since I’m in college I have to make up for my lost education because I want to and because I believe I can.

It pains me to see people who suffer with illiteracy. I struggle with certain tasks and feel foolish at times and I wonder what they must feel not being able to communicate other than verbally. It would be difficult to be successful in today’s society given that the advances of technology grow and become more complex. Seems like everyday there is a new update and you need to be able to keep up. I feel like our life is like a sponge. Everything we read, write, or listen to, we absorb into our minds. We gather ideas and build our own opinions of what surrounds us. Babies and toddlers are a good example of that. They may not be able to read or write but by reading to them opens up many doors in discovering it in the future. Their brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain so they absorb knowledge faster. Children are so eager to learn new things and constantly ask questions that people who are illiterate should feel the same way and build that drive to want to learn. I believe it’s a choice within yourself whether or not you want to learn.

Think Critically.

Critical Thinking. What is it? Everyone has their own way of seeing things. I see critical thinking as a way to help us live our day to day lives. We use it to figure out how to get to point A and to point B with lesser traffic, how to use the tiVo so we can record our favorite shows while were out of the house, or battle the next level of Angry Birds on our phone. I see our mind constantly being used to analyze what to feel, hear, say, or do that even when we think we can’t “think”, we are.

Sometimes I feel like being young I would have a broad imagination but that’s not the case here. I feel my imagination has run dry and I can’t find anything to inspire me to get back up again and be creative. I see the shows my little brother and sister watch and I think one word: POINTLESS. What is our generation teaching kids now? I cant stand watching more than 10 minutes of cheesy story lines that anyone can figure out what the ending is going to be. Children are so glued to television its ridiculous! But I got to say, the creators of these shows are smart. They amaze me because behind all this corny nonsense they know what kids like and they give them what they want.

My problem: I can’t answer a simple question without hurting my head and having a huge migrane afterwards. Honestly this blog itself is stressing me out! I think once I get the hang of blogging I’ll be able to enjoy it more than right now. It helps you sit and reflect on everything that is going on in your mind and you are able to express it through writing. I think this class will help me be able to explore my mind and deepen my inner most thoughts minus the migranes.