I began writing this reflection on Martin Luther King day while at a coffee shop near my home. Sitting there, I was overwhelmed by memories of past MLK day celebrations when I was heavily involved as the director of Madison Urban Ministry (MUM).I remembered noon commemorations at the State Capitol with nationally known speakers; evening celebrations honoring local persons with the MLK award; free breakfasts at a local college where people from different backgrounds sat together. Those were the days!
As I age, I lack the energy of my younger years. I am no longer at the center of these activities. This year l spent Dr. King’s holiday with my wife and daughter taking my grandson to the top of the Prudential Center where he could view the city from this lofty perch.
I miss my active involvement in thework for justice. The yearning for the lost energy of my youth is deepened by the realization that our nation is regressing in its commitment to liberty and justice for all. We are torn by internal fears and hatreds that distract us from our deep human potential.
The political establishment makes a mockery of the constitutional checks and balances. Unscrupulous people manipulate the population through fear tactics. We place children in detention centers, separated from their parents, perhaps permanently. Public officials dehumanize people with dark skin and immigrants. Politicians dismantle the safety net of food, housing, job and educational programs with little justification, other than the fact these programs were designed by political opponents.
There is a mean spiritedness in our country which makes a mockery of the inscription on the Statue of liberty.i
Having said this, I realize it is easy to romanticize the accomplishments of past civil rights movements. We recite the lofty ideals of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speechiiignoring his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” iiiand his “Beyond Vietnamspeech ivin which he broadened his criticism to include US foreign policy. This speech, coupled with the “Poor Peoples March” vwhich challenged structural racism in the north, turned public opinion against him and against the movement with which he was identified.
It is also important to remember that the period from the 50’s to the 70’s included the Vietnam war; the antiwar protest movement; the assassinations of Dr. King, Jack Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy; the FBI efforts to discredit Dr. King and the civil rights movement; the nuclear arms race with MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction); and the Cuban missile crisis.
I mention these facts, not to minimize the present threat, but to emphasize the fact that we also faced dire threats during the earlier civil rights era.
I am increasingly convinced that Dr. King’s warning in his Vietnam speech, at Riverside Church, was on target. He said:
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”vi
Rep. Adam Shiff in his closing testimony during the impeachment trial onThursday, January 23, 2020 echoed similar concerns when he said:
“If right doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter how good the constitution is. The framers could not protect us from ourselves if right and truth don’t matter. And you know what he [Trump] did was not right. That’s what they do in the old country ... that my great-grandfather came from or the old country that my ancestors came from, or maybe where you came from. If right and truth don’t matter,we are lost,”
I have spent my life promoting inclusiveness and nonviolent means for settling conflicts. I have encouraged people to live lives motivated by love, wisdom and compassion. As I mature, I realize that the world is not perfectible. It’s more like we are on a treadmill. We need to work just to keep from sliding backwards into earlier regressive traits.
I am not surprised that discrimination, violence, fear and hatred are still with us. I assume they will be with us into the foreseeable future. The civil rights victories that we celebrate on MLK day, are only temporary accomplishments in an ongoing struggle.
Dr. King had a premonition that he would not live to see his dream fulfilled. When he preached his last sermon in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the day before his assassination, he stated:
“Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life. Longevity has it's place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
What does that mean for those of us who are concerned about justice? How are we to persevere in the face of dynamics that counter our deepest beliefs knowing that we may never see our dreams fulfilled? How can we maintain the struggle when the religious and moral restraints in our society are in decline? What is required of us if we are to continue the struggle for love, compassion and justice? How can we develop within ourselves a centeredness that minimizes the natural tendency to be triggered by the manipulation of others. (See my November Blog Post, “The Price of Fear.”) vii
The civil rights leaders in the 60’s and 70’s addressed this same concern when they admonished one another to “keep your eyes on the prize.” If we respond to hatred with hatred - anger with anger - all is lost.
I find the words of Joseph Campbell viiihelpful in this regard. This first statement is one of his most quoted admonitions:
Quote #1
He explained why this works when he stated in this second quote:
Quote #2
Finally, in this third quote he stated:
Quote #3
Joseph Campbell’s words are not rocket science. Like many wisdom statements, they are simple to enuciate but difficult to accomplish. I will comment a bit further on his statements below:
- (Quote #1) It takes a good deal of introspection to discover what makes one deeply happy. As with addictive patterns, the things we crave – alcohol, drugs, food, sex, power, fame and fortune - mask deeper authentic yearnings of which we are unaware. These include our need for love, acceptance and a sense of self worth. These can’t be obtained by frantically chasing after them. They must come from within. Once we have discovered these deeper needs we will be open to what makes us truly happy.
- (Quote #2) Many of us spend our lives chasing goals and self definitions that are determined by family or cultural expectations. When we do this, we may reach the end of our lives without really having lived. This is why we burn out. Our “living” becomes work; driving us to anger, hatred and cynicism.
- (Quote #3) Engaging our bliss doesn’t just happen. We need a “place of creative incubation” where we can discover and bring forth who we are and what we might be. We need to commit to a practice were we regularly return to this place even when nothing seems to be happening. For some, this place and practice involves meditation in its many forms. For others it is sitting quietly in nature allowing it to speak. For some, it involves exploring what dreams have to teach us. Still others find this space in reading scriptures or other spiritual writings. I’m sure you can add to this list.
I can’t overemphasize the need for some regular practice as we live our lives promoting love, compassion and justice. Such a practice helps us grow in wisdom. If you find it difficult to be alone in solitude, as suggested above, join with others in meditation or some other group activity. This can take place in a religious/spiritual community or in secular communities. This could even be built into the reflection portion of action/reflection among activists as was done during the earlier civil rights groups.
Whether you engage in these practices individually or communally, you will discover your authentic self. This self knowledge will stabilize and sustain you in the face of adversity. You will discover a deep certainty in who you are and what it means to be truly alive.
The issues Dr. King and other civil rights leaders faced, continue to plague us. If we don’t heed the wisdom of people like Joseph Campbell, our efforts to promote justice, love and compassion will, not only fail; but they will contribute to more violence and divisions in an already violent and divisive world.
I will close with quote from Joseph Campbell that gives me hope:
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”
i "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”.
ii https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
iii https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Letter_Birmingham_Jail.pdf
iv https://ratical.org/ratville/JFK/MLKapr67.html
v https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_People%27s_Campaign
vi See footnote #4 above
vii https://drchuckpfeifer.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-price-of-fear.html
viii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell
