The View From the Corner Office

Few people remember Dick Holler who wrote this song that Dion made famous in the late 1960s. His words represent a tribute to a century of Icons for social change. As I sit here thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr., I find it prophetic that a song wedges him between two equally incredible and perhaps circumstantial heroes of a common cause that began with the drafting of our Constitution, got swept under the table until the 1860s and simmered until the 1960s when our nation of laws finally decided to enforce the rights of people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and beliefs. Like the times before when rights of human dignity and belief surfaced before we raced to embrace them and then back slid to a state of comfort. Today, we grapple with rights of the unborn, rights of Gay, Lesbian and Transgender individuals, but there looms in the background the underlying issue of racial equality.

I wonder what Abraham, Martin and John would think if they could see America today. The targets have changed, the tactics more sophisticated, but the issues remain. We still have groups attempting to impose their will on the nation as they really believe, delusional or otherwise, that they know what's good for all of us. In addition, the new sophistication of poll manipulation, media promotion and "thought leadership" by special interest groups in Washington, DC and our State capitals brings a greater threat to our constitution and way of life that at any prior period in history.

Abraham would likely sit in wonder at how far society has scientifically advanced, how far it has spiritually decayed and how we have so misused and abused the scientific and communicative gifts we've been given. He would laugh at how some things have not changed; the fraud and corruption of today so resembles the profiteering of the Civil War era. Our ability to move it from the business to business and business to government has only been outstripped by our new use of technology to take it global and straight into our homes. Today, those inclined to prey on others have a much broader array of tools and much fewer hurdles to touch their ultimate marks. Abraham would have looked at our congress and political processes with enormous disdain. Politics in his day makes modern political disagreements seem like child's play. The difference and the disappointment comes in our use of "sound bite politics" to make it personal. In doing so, we put up roadblocks that bar the ability of individuals in leadership to let the process of compromise work for the good of the nation. We seem to have burned the bridges of civility that allow egos to be set aside and legitimate debate on principles to craft a conversation that brings solutions. He would so wish he could participate today to bring perspective to the opportunities we squander because of ideology and ego.

John would be proud of our younger generation who still hold idealistic views of being a force for change and finding ways to help others. Just as my generation did in the 1960s, today's youth represent the bright future of our country's position in the world as a leader for global change in a peaceful fashion. I know he wonders what happened to my generation and all the idealism of the 1960s and all the positive energy we demonstrated at the time. We staffed his Peace Corp, we embraced the Civil Rights Movement and we worked to put a dent in poverty and hunger. Somewhere along the way the idealism died for many of us and we checked out; why he wonders. He might conclude that the pace of life quickened, families needed to feed themselves and the modern political process sucked the life out of his young idealist. Even with that he would see today's technology for the opportunities it brings to stimulate enthusiasm across generations, marshal resources, and produce energy to further the common good. He would deplore its commercialization and use to track individuals and groups to prey upon for ideological fundraising and fear mongering. I wonder how he would view the incidents of 9/11 and the huge impact it had on freedoms in this country, and the military industrial complex's utilization of it to profiteer and create fear for fear's sake. If alive today he would build bridges between the factions and provide much more opportunity for both sides to move forward. He might even be Pro-Life, but not to a political end. He knew how to count votes to move an agenda and he would do it again.

I saved Martin for last even though it messed up the song title. He brought me a much more complex mental discussion. In his life he focused on rights for Americans of African heritage to be full participants in American life with an eye on schools, worship, housing, representation, jobs and freedom from fear. I've read most everything he's written and a lot of what others wrote about him and while a Black Preacher from the South, he represented much more. He brought a voice of hope to African Americans and the poor all over this country. He represented a voice against ignorance, racism and hate without regard for ethnic origin. Some say he was a modern day saint. History doesn't support that proposition-he was an ordinary human being, in the right place at the right time, with a compelling message and the ability to deliver it. He will go down in history as one of our country's greatest human beings. He would want it that way as he saw himself as a mere mortal with a God given gift to lead and preach. He did both with great skill and a style that even his detractors admired.

Were he alive today, he would wonder how he failed so badly. Not that the Civil Rights Movement didn't accomplish a lot but rather at how it has become part of the establishment, complete with its own profiteers. He wanted a movement that stayed the course until African Americans and even Caucasian and other ethnic minorities climbed out of poverty, got heard (even locally) and could stop making the process about catching up. He would abhor the current state of immigration in this country. We represent opportunity for all peoples and have for two hundred years been the melting pot of the world. Today, his cause lives on in even a larger scale than before. He dreamed of a society free of barriers to achievement and advancement where educational opportunities and scholarships didn't have a color, gender or language criteria. He had many dreams and today they are still mine. I will not live to see them fulfilled, but as long as I live they will remain a front burner work in process.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let's remember his dreams and the dreams of Abraham and John. They and the framers of our constitution started something that remains unfinished-an America free from prejudices, with opportunities for all people to live in peace, and prosper. It's not a lot to ask.