Tonight, in front of a sold out crowd accomplished author, speaker and veteran, Wes Moore, will deliver his keynote address on "Living Life Beyond Expectations" at this year's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dinner celebration. KRCU’sMarissanne Lewis-Thompson spoke with Moore about living his life beyond expectations.
Lewis-Thompson: So, tonight you're giving the keynote address at Southeast Missouri State University, and the theme is "Living Life Beyond Expectations." So, why this theme and what does it mean to you?
Moore: I think the big thing is that we all enter into our lives with different expectations that many ways we're not responsible for. But that people will have about us based on things that we have no control over. Where we're born? Who we're born to? What type of assets or resources that we have coming in? And I think that in many ways really what I wanted to do is say that while these things are important, and while these things have some type of context what's really important is that we are able to create our own destiny and define our our destiny. Because that's really what's going to help illustrate and help you to understand who we are, and what our contributions gonna be.
Lewis-Thompson: So, above all your numerous accomplishments you're background is heavily rooted in education and military service. So, how have those experiences impacted your life?
Moore: You know in many ways I feel like part of reason why I'm so involved in this issue and so heavily rooted in this issue is simply because I know the impact of this issue. I know how my life could have been and would have been so amazingly different had it not been for this issue. And so, that's why I just understand and feel deeply and appreciate deeply just the transformative nature that education and the military has had.
Lewis-Thompson: Okay. So who are and were some of the people in your life that influenced you to live beyond all of your expectations?
Moore: My mom and my grandparents all played a significant role. And aunts, uncles, cousins etc. But I think also you have to look at the different teachers that I've had, different coaches, ministers. You know, I had a series of people who have really done a wonderful job of helping me to understand that the world is bigger than what was just directly in front of me. And I think they played a huge role in terms of helping me to have a better appreciation of the type of life that I should live.
Lewis-Thompson: To wrap things up, what can people expect to hear from you tonight?
Moore: The thing I'm just hoping is that you know I want challenge and I want to push, and I want to you know make sure that there's a bigger deeper understanding from their story. That it's not just about these two kids, but that we have other bigger things that we have to be discussing and debating and pulling together. And so, those are the things that I really want people to take away from it.
Wes Moore will speak at the Show Me Center tonight at 6 p.m.
