On the winds of hope, I heard a dream. It is a dream of a place where everyone shall be treated with respect. It is a dream of a people who treat each other with consideration. It is a dream of a place where all people are known to have been created equal. For decades, I have dreamed of finding this place. All across this country I have traveled, to find this dreamt-of place. All of those whom I have met have I asked about the way to this place. A few of them have heard of this dream, but most just looked at me as if I were crazy. How could I even imagine that such a place could exist? After all, it is just a dream.
Still, I seek this place, as if it could offer our salvation. I dream that it is a place where the hungry are fed, whatever their color may be. I dream that it is a place where the homeless are sheltered, however much money they may have. I dream that it is a place where the sick are healed, not just endlessly treated for continued profit. I dream that there we may work together, rather than against each other. I am dismissed as a dreamer, yet I cling to the dream that I heard. What do you dream of? Do you share your dream, even with those who would attack you for it?
If I ever find this dreamt-of place, I promise to share the dreamy secret with all who will accept it. After a lifetime of chasing the dream, perhaps I have been looking in all of the wrong places. Maybe this dreamed-of place isn’t out there. Just possibly, this amazing place is within us all. I can only hope, because if the dream is that close, then we are all almost there, already. Just close your eyes, and dream. Do you hear?
Charles Little
Chapel Hill