A week ago, I wrote a personal essay, A Dream Delayed. That dream was true, but, in the grand scheme of things, it was merely my quest for icing on the cake of my life. Nonetheless, my dreaming moved to a broader social movement, which was a sequel, Societal Dreaming.

This article morphs the two previous dreaming essays together. In the Societal Dreaming article, I mentioned Bobby Kennedy, who said, “Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.” For me and my generation, Bobby Kennedy was the person that produced the most articulate and compassionate message to blacks and whites. Bobby wasn't black, but he could communicate better than any other white to blacks as they suffered from the effects of racism and discrimination.

Two months later, a white assassinated Bobby. This is a memorial in Indianapolis two both martyrs.

Bobby Kennedy reaching out to MLK

Since we seem to be floundering without great orators, we need to listen to Bobby’s clarion call back in the 60s. “All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.” That certainly describes the present day. He encouraged that generation to face reality. It was a carpe diem moment.

One other statement fleshes out Bobby’s mindset. “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Bobby Kennedy

Bobby wanted each of us to contribute to the ripple effect in life. That is what a purposeful life would do. This would be your assignment if I were teaching a history class this semester and you were in the class. I want you to write down what you consider the five purposes for your life. What are your goals in the time that you have?

Take a piece of paper and jot down five things that you wish to accomplish. It is important that you follow my lesson plan. Stop reading this article and take two minutes to jot down the five goals that you wish to accomplish in your life?

Now, you will evaluate and grade your assignment. This is the grading criteria. Who will be the primary beneficiary of your purposeful life? You or others? Bobby’s contention about a purposeful life is based upon helping others rather than helping ourselves.