Guest Speaker Hill Harper talks to a crowd in the Arts and Sciences Auditorium Thursday night about the lessons that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught people throughout his lifetime. Hill was part of the Days of Dialogue week at the University of Wyoming. (Photo: Seneca Riggins)
Harper, actor on the popular show ‘CSI:NY,’ spoke at the University of Wyoming’s Martin Luther King Jr. “Days of Dialogue” keynote address yesterday.
Harper began with his favorite King quotation from the Dec. 11, 1961, speech: “We are all tied together in a garment of mutual destiny.”
Harper used the concept of interconnectedness as a framework for the consequences of actions, showing how one time of non-involvement can ripple through to many other people. To illustrate his point, Harper relayed an experience he had while playing Celebrity Jeopardy.
Harper said he was initially hesitant to participate in the game show, nearly letting the fear of embarrassment stand in his way. Even though he did participate in Celebrity Jeopardy, his experience did not go as planned. Harper said he grew increasingly frustrated, losing sight of his purpose – helping his charity, the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation.
“I got angry, my ego got involved, and then I did that thing – I quit,” Harper said. “People know I have two grad degrees from Harvard, they think I’m smart, but it’s false evidence appearing real,” he said jokingly.
Harper said it was his dedication to his charity that gave him the courage to participate. He said fear was the single greatest thing preventing people from becoming agents of change and chasing their dreams.
“Most of the fears we carry, most of the things that stop us from taking action are false,” Harper said.
Harper also said that while the people and surroundings were the primary source of false fear, everyone was their own obstacle to achieving success. When he began his presentation, Harper asked the audience to write down their biggest dreams and at the end, he asked them to double the scope of their dreams, proving mental blocks were preventing people from “daring to dream and acting accordingly.”
