Hi guys,
I came across this video and I was impressed by these students’ intense interest and views about politics in light of the presidential race. What inspired me more was the hope and belief in the indomitable spirit of mankind and the American dream for all of its citizens.
This election has given me hope that King’s 40 year old prophetic dream that America will judge its citizens by their character and not their race or gender is about to be realized.
Metaphysically 40 signifies completion. Remarkably, it is significant in
Jewish,
Christian,
Islamic, and other
Middle Eastern traditions; it can also represent a rough calculation, a huge sum of units, or simply put a lot of something:
-"Forty days and forty nights" describes the period for which rain fell during
Noah's flood
-"Forty days" was the length of the period that the twelve spies explored the Promised Land
-"Forty years" was the length of Israel's wandering in the wilderness. This period of years represents a generation, that is, the time it takes for a new generation to arise.
-Moses' life is divided into three 40-year segments, separated by his fleeing from Egypt, and his return to lead the people out.
-Several Israelite leaders and kings are said to have ruled for "forty years", that is, a generation. (Examples: Eli, Saul, David, Solomon.)
-According to the
Midrash,
Moses spent three consecutive periods of "forty days and forty nights" on
Mount Sinai.
-
Rabbi Akiva, the greatest expositor of the
Oral Torah, only began learning how to read
Hebrew when he was 40 years old
-"Forty days and forty nights" was the period
Jesus spent
fasting in the wilderness, after which he was tempted by Satan.
-Forty days was the period from Jesus' resurrection till his ascension into heaven.
-In modern Christian practice,
Lent consists of the 40 days preceding
Easter. -The dead are usually
mourned for forty days in
Muslim cultures
-
Muhammad is said to be forty years old when he first received the revelation delivered by an angel.
-In the
Yazidi faith, The Chermera temple (meaning “40 Men” in the Yazidi dialect) is so old that no one remembers how it came to have that name but it is believed to derive from the burial of 40 men on the mountaintop site.
-In
Hinduism, some popular religious prayers consist of forty
shlokas or
dohas (couplets, stanzas).
Finally after 40 years, or essentially a generation later, Dr. King’s dream is being realized. The possibility of Obama becoming the first African American president is on the horizon. It's reality will only manifest, if we REGISTER, SUPPORT HIS CAMPAIGN AND VOTE! Let us learn from this historical moment the importance of instilling in the next generation the significance of not only the American dream, but their individual dreams. Although it may take time for us to realize our dreams, we must never give up on a heartfelt dream that benefits mankind. Defeat is not an option- when we persist through adversity, we all can be Winners at life! For Women Empowerment Seminars go to
www.womensempowermentseminars.com. Stay Blessed!
Joyce
Posted By: C. Joyce Farrar-Rosemon
Friday, August 29th 2008 at 11:55AM
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