“I have a dream” is a powerful phrase. And because today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the phrase, “I have a dream,” repeats over and over in our minds, not to mention in the media. King carries his dream in his words. He unites people with words. King’s force is verbal, and people follow him. When we combine the right words with real purpose, we get things done.

“I Have a Dream” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The more efficient a force is, the more silent and the more subtle it is.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi, who influences King’s non-violent resistance, advises us to “aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed.” Non-violent resistance is frustrating and difficult, but consider how fake equality’s cause would appear led with a banner of violence. Now granted, people do listen to pain. Hitler was violent. He chose violent words to match violent actions. And because his words and actions were in “harmony,” Hitler was able to motivate his henchmen effectively for a time. Thankfully, hate and fear have an expiration date. King’s peaceful actions are efficient and effective. They are long-lasting. Start with a good purpose, then look for good words to match.

Words With Purpose Have Staying Power

The Green Bay Packers’ Brett Favre had a dream this year, but they lost last night’s game to the New York Giants, and Super Bowl XLII is gone from their future. The words “green bay” briefly reached the top ten search terms list on Google, but that quickly dropped with fans’ hopes for big, bulky, championship rings. But even when a purpose like “win the Super Bowl” fails, the strongest parts of the purpose linger. The Packers may have lost, but search terms for “green bay bikini girls” still make it into the top ten searches (hmm… visual aides have nothing to do with that)! When we select words for our purposes, we need to pick the resilient ones. Resilient words are usually related to the group of people your purpose effects.

King’s words are resilient… even more than “green bay bikini girls.” Long after his 1968 assassination, he still inspires us with his words and his purpose. Google’s number one search term today, “martin luther king jr. day”, beat terms like “gossip report” and “drunken stepfather” beyond 4pm. Equality is a work in progress. Yes, and hopefully drunken stepfathers too.

When words like, “I have a dream,” become cultural mortar, those words are here to stay. Thank you for your words, Dr. King.