MLK's "Three Dimensions of a Complete Life"

No doubt you've heard of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream” speech. You’ve heard him say in that authoritative and confident voice “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

However, you probably haven’t heard of a sermon called “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” This sermon is truly one of the most remarkable you will ever hear. In it Dr. King is scholarly, passionate, informative, and at times humorous. During the sermon he outlines how to live a constructive and full life.

The sermon centers around three concepts:

1) The length of life which is about you
2) The breadth of life which is about others.
3) The height of life which is about your relationship with God.

He puts it this way:

“There are three dimensions of any complete life to which we can fitly give the words of this text: length, breadth, and height.

Now, the length of life, as we shall use it here is the inward concern for one’s own welfare. In other words, it is that inward concern that causes one to push forward, to achieve his own goals and ambitions.

The breadth of life as we shall use it here is the outward concern for the welfare of others. And the height of life is the upward reach for God. Now, you got to have all three of these to have a complete life.”

Dr. King goes on to discuss each of these dimensions in detail. It is truly one of the most inspiring and informative sermons you’ll ever read or hear.

I suggest you buy the audio and print version. The audio version to hear him so eloquently deliver this speech. The print version to easily reference different parts of the speech.

Both the audio and print versions can be found in a book called “A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, jr.”. It can be purchased on Amazon.com.



The “I Have A Dream” speech was about us having a better society. “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” is about living a full and complete life.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the smartest people who ever lived. A lot of people don’t know, for example, that when he delivered the “I Have A Dream” speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963 he was only 34 years old.

However, if you knew about his accomplishments before age 34 then you knew it was quite possible he would deliver such a speech at a relatively young age.

Here are some facts to keep in mind when you think about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

- At age 15 he entered Morehouse College in 1944.
- At age 19 he became an ordained Minister.
- At age 25, he became Pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
- At age 26 he led the Black Bus Boycott of Montgomery, Alabama’s segregated bus system.
- Also at Age 26 he received a PhD in Theology from Boston University
- At age 28 he helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
- At age 29 he had already published 5 books, including “Stride Toward Freedom”
- At age 34 he delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.
- At age 35 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a peacemaker, promoting nonviolence and equal treatment for different races.
- At age 38 he denounced U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. That same year he began to plan the Poor People’s Campaign against poverty.
- Tragically, at age 39, on April 4, 1968 he was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee.

I strongly encourage you to purchase the “Knock at Midnight” sermons and listen and/or read the “Three Dimensions of a Complete Life”. Also, read and/or listen to the other speeches in the Book/CD.

Dr. King will expand how you think about life and its possibilities. He certainly did for me. -CB

Our Bodies Are Amazing! (Part 2)

Today I went to see Gunther Von Hagen's BodyWorlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. This was an amazing exhibit! If this exhibit comes to your town (or NEAR your town) go see it! It will change the way you see human beings forever!

One of the things I walked away with is this... All of the "isms" such as racism, classism, and the others are completely man made. All of the problems we have with one another are problems we've created. Nothing divine created any of these problems.

Because when you "peel back the skin" as this exhibit LITERALLY does - we are all the same. We are truly children of God. Because only something divine could have created something so complex and intricate yet so simple and elegant as the human body.

Go to the exhibit and see for yourself. -CB

For more information on this incredible exhibit, click here:

BodyWorlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies

Our Bodies Are Amazing!

Unless you were a Biology major in college, the likelihood of you knowing a lot about the internal workings of the body is pretty slim.

I recently found some information on our body's major systems that's very interesting.  It also illustrates just how amazing we all are!

The Skeletal System

- The longest bone is the 'femur', in the thigh. It makes up almost one quarter of the body's height.
- The smallest bone is the 'stirrup', deep in the ear. It is slightly larger than a grain of rice.
- The ears and end of the nose do not have bones. Their inner supports are cartilage or 'gristle', which is lighter and more flexible than bone. This is why the nose and ears can be bent.
- After death, cartilage decomposes faster than bone. This is why skulls have no nose or ears.

The Muscular System

- The longest muscle in the body is the sartorius, from the outside of the hip, down and across to the inside of the knee. It rotates the thigh outwards and bends the knee.
- The smallest muscle in the body is the stapedius, deep in the ear. It is only 5mm long and thinner than cotton thread. It is involved in hearing.
- The largest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximus, in the buttock. It pulls the leg backwards powerfully for walking, running and climbing steps.

The Circulatory System

- In a 70 year lifetime, the average human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times.
- About two million red blood cells are produced in the human body every second.
- Within a few droplets of whole blood, there are about 1 billion red blood cells.
- Blood takes about 20 seconds to circulate throughout the entire vascular system.
- Red blood cells may live for about 120 days circulating throughout the body, feeding trillions of other body cells.
- On average an adult human system of blood vessels is more than 60,000 miles long – that’s long enough to circle Earth twice.

The Nervous System

- The brain looks like a giant, wrinkled walnut.
- The brain and spinal cord are surrounded and protected by cerebrospinal fluid.

The Immune System

- The skin secretes antibacterial substances. These substances explain why you don't wake up in the morning with a layer of mold growing on your skin - most bacteria and spores that land on the skin die quickly.
- Tears and mucus contain an enzyme (lysozyme) that breaks down the cell wall of many bacteria.
- Lymph nodes contain filtering tissue and a large number of lymph cells. When fighting certain bacterial infections, the lymph nodes swell with bacteria and the cells fighting the bacteria, to the point where you can actually feel them. Swollen lymph nodes may therefore be a good indication that you have an infection of some sort.

The Digestive System

- Adults eat about 500 kg of food per year.
- 1.5 litres of saliva are produced each day.
- The esophagus is approximately 25 cm long.
- Muscles contract in waves to move the food down the esophagus. This means that food would get to a person's stomach, even if they were standing on their head.
- We get two sets of teeth; 20 'baby teeth' are replaced around age six with 32 'adult teeth'.
- The average adult has at least 7.5 meters of intestines in their body

The Respiratory System

- The right lung is slightly larger than the left.
- Hairs in the nose help to clean the air we breathe as well as warming it.
- The highest recorded "sneeze speed" is 165 km per hour.
- The surface area of the lungs is approximately the same size as a tennis court.
- The capillaries in the lungs would extend 1,600 km if placed end to end.
- We lose half a litre of water a day through breathing. This is the water vapor we see when we breathe onto glass.
- On average a person at rest usually breathes between 12 and 15 times a minute.
The breathing rate is faster in children and women than in men.

Pretty amazing stuff right? -CB

You’ve Got To Do It Yourself

I had lunch today with an extraordinary young Black man. At the age of 25 he had already graduated from college, Graduate school and was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). If that wasn’t enough he also had corporate experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers. As we talked he said something that struck me. He said, “Basically, you have to understand that you’ve got to do it yourself.”

He didn’t mean you shouldn’t seek help or that your success depends on you alone. What he meant was that you have to discipline yourself to reach your goals. He put it this way, “People have to realize that when you take the exam, you take it by yourself.” Therefore, you have to discipline yourself to put in the hours it takes to be prepared.

This young man clearly understands this. And as a result he can pretty much do whatever he wants. He is so far ahead of his peers that the world is truly his. It was also nice to see with all that talent he was one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. As I said to him jokingly, “Use your powers for good, please! Because if you decide to be a criminal you’ll be one of the smartest criminals out there.” Laughing he said he would “use his powers for good.”

I bring up my meeting with this young man because he has a powerful message for those who want to change their lives: Only YOU can change your life. Other people can suggest, encourage, even give you resources. But in the end “you have to take the exam alone.” Whatever the “exam” is for you. Whether that be going back to high school or college. Pursuing a career you’ve always wanted to pursue. Or getting out of a negative situation. Whatever it is – it is YOUR challenge to overcome. Other people can help you and support you, but you’ve got to do it yourself.

As I look back over my own life I am please at the fact that I have no regrets. That is because everything I wanted to pursue, I did. I am not saying everything always worked out the way I wanted it to. But today I’m not wishing I did this or that. I did it. I wanted to graduate from college, I did. I wanted to graduate from Graduate school, I did. I wanted to move to New York City from California, I did. I wanted to leave New York City and move to Charlotte, I did that too. I wanted to start my own business, I did (twice). And I continue to plan and pursue my goals as I did when I was 25 like the young man I had lunch with today.

As we left the restaurant and headed back to our cars, I left him with this: “Continue to use your time wisely, as you’ve done so well to this point. Remember, time is the only thing you can’t get back. You can get back money if you lose it. But you can’t get back time. So make it count.” We shook hands, he nodded in agreement, and we headed back to work. -CB

Helping Our Students To Be More Successful

When I say "our students" I don't mean "Black" or "White" or "Latino" students.  I mean ALL of our students.  We need competent, capable young people of every race and nationality.  For the future is truly in their hands.  There are great educators out there trying their best to help our young people to be successful. But the education of our young people is a shared responsibility.  Teachers play a part. Parents play a part. The general public plays a part.  And, of course, young people themselves must play a part.

As a member of the "general public" I would like to offer two resources that most certainly can help young people - in school and in life:

1. "Quantum Learning: Unleashing the Genius in You" by Bobbi DePorter

2. "What Smart Students Know: Maximum Grades. Optimum Learning. Minimum Time." by Adam Robinson (Co-Founder of Princeton Review)

These books can be purchased on Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) or Barnes and Nobles (www.bn.com).

It's kind of ironic that I am writing this blog entry on the 4th of July. Because the education of our young people is really about them becoming capable, independent adults. -CB

Understanding Ourselves and Our World

How much do we really know about one another? How much do really know about people outside of our own country or culture? Or for some of us, outside of our neighborhood? Often we live our entire lives entrenched in our own culture whether that be ethnically (African-American) or nationally (American). It is only in understanding how we are the same and different that we gain a deeper appreciation for other people's perspective. Entire groups of people have been destroyed simply because one group felt "their way" was the best way. If we continue to take this myopic view on the world, it is only a matter of time before we destroy ourselves.

So, today I offer you a resource that can help you better understand yourself as a human being and the world you live in. It is a resource for understanding the vast differences as well as the similarities between us. Some values and beliefs you might adopt, others you might not. But in either case this resource should give you a greater appreciation for humanity. How complex and yet simple we all are.

This resource is a visually stunning book called Human created by the Smithsonian Institution, edited by Robert Winston. The book can be purchased from from Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) or Barnes & Noble (www.bn.com)

The publisher described the book this way: “A highly comprehensive and illustrated account of what makes us what we are: how we evolved, how our bodies work and develop, and how we think and behave, this unbelievable reference examines the qualities all humans share but also highlights the diversity of human society and culture. Profiling more than 250 peoples who inhabit the world and examining fascinating facts - from environmental and health issues to beliefs and customs – Human is the definitive illustrated guide to our species.”

You have to SEE this book to believe it! The pictures and rich detail are amazing! Here’s a taste:

Here are the sections and sub-sections of the book:

1. Introductions

2. Origins

3. Body
- Body
- Building a Body
- Support and Movement
- Breathing and Circulation
- Fueling the Body
- Defense and Repair
- Controlling the Body
- The Senses
- Reproducing

4. Mind
- How the Mind Works
-- Consciousness
-- Receiving Information
-- Learning
-- Memory
-- Thinking
-- Emotion
-- Language
- The Individual
-- Personality
-- Intelligence
-- Gender and Sex

5. Life Cycle
- Life Cycle
- Childhood
-- Birth and Early Childhood
-- Late Childhood
-- Adolescence
- Adulthood
-- Finding a Partner
-- Marriage
-- Family
-- Daily Life
-- Old Age
-- Death

6. Society
- Society
- Economies
-- How Economies Work
- Social Structures
-- Roles and Status
-- Power
-- Control and Conflict
-- Welfare

7. Culture
- Culture
- Belief
-- World Beliefs
- Communication
-- World Languages
-- Nonverbal Communication
-- Mass Media
- Clothing and Adornment
-- Types of Dress
- Art and Science
-- Art
-- Science

8. Peoples
- Peoples
- North America
- Central and South America
- Europe
- Middle East and North Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- North and Central Asia
- Far East
- Oceania

9. Future

I strongly encourage you to purchase this book. I’ve learned so much from it. I’m sure you will too. – CB

I Believe in Humanity

Recently I saw a video on YouTube that just really captured the human spirit. In the video you see people from all around the world saying what they believe in.

But more than that you see a global human expression of love, hope, courage, and joy. Emotions we all experience at one time or another. Enjoy the video. -CB

Africa. Did you know it had 53 Countries?

When you think about Africa what comes to mind? Widespread poverty? AIDS? Civil War? Tribes and Villages? What about the fastest growing cell phone market? There is truth to the first four, but also the last one. What about it being a continent of nearly a billion people or having more than 800 distinct ethnic groups? What about it being a continent with 53 countries? Yes, countries, not cities, countries. Here's 48 of them (some you've no doubt heard of, others you probably haven't):

North Western Countries (Left side of continent)

1. Morocco

2. Tunisia

3. Algeria

4. Western Sahara

5. Mauritania

6. Mali

7. Senegal

8. Gambia

9. Guinea-Bissau

10. Guinea

11. Sierra Leone

12. Liberia

13. Ivory Coast

14. Burkina Faso

15. Ghana

16. Togo

17. Benin

South Western Countries (Left side of continent)

1. Equatorial Guinea

2. Gabon

3. Republic of Congo

Central Countries

1. Libya

2. Chad

3. Niger

4. Nigeria

5. Cameroon

6. Central African Rebublic

7. Democratic Republic of the Congo

8. Rwanda

9. Burundi

North Eastern Countries (Right side of continent)

1. Egypt

2. Sudan

3. Eritrea

4. Ethiopia

5. Djibouti

6. Somalia

South Eastern Countries (Right side of continent)

1. Uganda

2. Kenya

3. Tanzania

4. Malawi

5. Mozambique

Southern Central Countries

1. Angola

2. Zambia

3. Zimbabwe

4. Namibia

5. Botswana

6. Swaziland

7. Lesotho

8. South Africa

Why is it that many of us know so little about these countries? Why is that we refer to Africa not by a specific country in question, but by an entire continent. That's like saying I went to North America. People would naturally ask you, "The United States or Canada?" Yet people have entire conversations about Africa talking about it like it's a country.

So with this information perhaps we can begin to say "Where in Africa are you referring to?"

We can all stop this miseducation about Africa by learning more about what's going on in each country. Learning about the similarities and the differences. The struggles and the triumphs.

In the spirit of this blog being "Dedicated to the Good", I'd like to share a resource I recently picked up that is chock full of information about Africa and the incredible initiatives taking place in many of the countries. What is this resource you ask?

It is the current edition of Vanity Fair Magazine (July 2007). Vanity Fair has dedicated their entire July edition to the continent of Africa. They've hired the world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz to take pictures of a broad range of notable businessmen, entertainers, politicians and public figures to grace 20 separate covers for this Africa Special Edition.

The individuals included Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, H.M. Queen Rania of Jordan, Bono, Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Brad Pitt, Djimon Hounsou, Madonna, Maya Angelou, Chris Rock, Warren Buffett, Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Iman, and Don Cheadle -- all who have some active connection with Africa.

I picked up the cover with Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama on it. But all the covers are incredible.

The magazine's content is extraordinary. The writers take you all over the continent of Africa providing you with information rarely covered in mainstream media.

Check it out. There is much to learn and much to share. - CB

Dedicated to the Good

Today it seems we're inundated with the negative. We turn on the evening news or CNN and mostly what we see and hear is negative.  Instinctively, we all know there is some good going on in our society... somewhere.  

So I've dedicated this Blog to archiving positive things that are going on around the world.  As this is the Internet I invite one and all to share positive, constructive things that are going on. Anything that's constructive.  

I've found that when we talk about positive things an interesting thing happens.  We start to feel good.  About ourselves.  About other people.  About the possibilities.  We start to see that the world is not ALL bad.  

Please understand I don't walk around with rose-colored glasses believing that we live in a world free from crime, hatred, and destruction.  I know that these things exist.  And if I didn't all I would have to do is turn on the evening news (any night).

My purpose here is not to act as if we don't have problems in our society.  Rather it is to share and illuminate the positive in our society.  The constructive alternatives that people are using to overcome the challenges.  

My idea of a great society is one in which the positive, and stories of people overcoming, far outweighs the negative and people being destroyed.  The negative is still there, but it is uncomfortable because most people desire, in fact demand, a certain decency, a certain constructive outlook on life.

So share your stories.  And I will share my stories and those of people dedicated to the good.  The good in themselves and the good in others. - CB