Today is Martin Luther King Day. Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King and John Lennon were all great dreamers. A dream is defined as “a fond hope or aspiration; to imagine as possible.”

The great thing about being a human being is that we have all been blessed with free choice. We can choose to live in peace or we can choose to go to war. It’s our choice. Yesterday Russia’s military chief of staff Yuri Baluyevski said, “We do not intend to attack anyone but we consider it necessary that all our partners in the international community clearly understand that for the defence of our sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Russia and its allies, the armed forces will be employed, including preventively the use of nuclear weapons.”

Jesus Christ, the Jewish born Messiah of Christianity and Islam dreamed of a world living in peace. Vladimir Putin is a Church going Russian Orthodox Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a pacifist. Jesus Christ stood on a mountain and said, “Do not hit back even in self defense; turn the other cheek for him to hit it too. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love your enemies.” On a circular planet with only one sky, where the wind will blow the radioactive fallout from your own nuclear bombs right back onto your own head, pacifism makes good sense. Also think of the trillions of dollars human beings spend on weapons of mass destruction which could be used to buy every person on earth a mansion in Malibu.

Once again, yesterday Vladimir Putin’s military chief of staff Yuri Baluyevski said, “We do not intend to attack anyone but we consider it necessary that all our partners in the international community clearly understand that for the defence of our sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Russia and its allies, the armed forces will be employed, including preventively the use of nuclear weapons.”

A sovereign country is a country which is independent of all others. The English language is confusing because one word often has many meanings. “Independent” means “free from the rule of another, governing oneself.” Independent also means “not connected or related to another, to each other, or to a group.” Religious people believe that God the Father, the God of every Muslim, Christian and Jew created human beings, but they do not believe that God the Father created man made borders. If human beings can create borders then they can just as easily wipe them away instantly, if they choose to do so.

It is always important to treat the root of a problem and not just the symptom. Obviously if Russia’s borders were washed away by the human beings who created them then there would be no need for human beings to use pre emptive nuclear, biological and chemical attacks to preserve their borders. John Lennon dreamed of a world living in peace. In his song “Imagine”, John Lennon sang, “Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too, Imagine all the people, living life in peace, You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, no need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man, Imagine all the people, sharing all the world, You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” Here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEOkxRLzBf0 Jesus Christ also commanded his followers to sell all of their possessions and to give all of the proceeds to the poor.

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Martin Luther King, like Jesus Christ, like John Lennon and like Mahatma Gandhi was a pacifist. Martin Luther King stood for racial equality. In 1963 Martin Luther King and his followers marched and protested non violently in Birmingham, Alabama. The local officials became angry and they shot water cannons and sicced police dogs on the marchers, including the teenagers and children. The police jailed Martin Luther King in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin Luther King organized a massive peaceful march in 1963 in Washington, D.C., and delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech from the Lincoln Memorial. The next year Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize, and because of Martin Luther King, his fellow black Christian Barack Obama has a chance of being elected President of the United States of America. People can change if they choose to. Human beings can wash away borders and they can share the earth’s wealth and they can end war and become pacifists, if they choose to. Or, human beings can follow their present course into nuclear world war III.

Sarah Dylan wrote a song called “Dreamer”. In the song she sings, “If I asked you just one question, what would your answer be, life was simple, but I knew that it would be more complicated... Your mind is slipping…You’re lost.” The world has had the wonderful good fortune to have had people like Jesus Christ, John Lennon and Martin Luther King to show us all the way to everlasting peace on earth.

It isn’t like these three great men have not told us all to stop dividing ourselves with man made borders. It isn’t like they haven’t told us that pacifism is the only way to survive. It isn’t like they haven’t told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and to love our enemies. Sarah Dylan sings a song called “Three Chances”. While you are listening to the song, imagine that it is being sung by Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King and John Lennon together. “You call me but I won’t answer the phone, and maybe sometimes I’ll feel alone, but I know it’s worth it, so I can’t pretend, You’ve had your three chances, now this is the end. You’re calling, you’re calling me now, but I’m gone, I’m movin’ on.”  http://www.myspace.com/sarahdylanmusic