2012: Ideas That Matter

(Part 1)

The King of Love: Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

MLK with wife Coretta Scott King

Once upon this planet earth,

lived a man of humble birth,

preaching love and freedom

for his fellow man,

he was dreaming of a day,

peace would come to  earth to stay,

and he spread this message

all across the land.

 Monday, January 16, 2012, as I listened to the plaintive strains of Nina Simone's rendition of “Why? (The King of Love is Dead), live at Westbury Music Fair, it seems fitting that we kick off the new year with a celebration of hopeful resolutions and the remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK). The bittersweet melody beautifully sums up the era and saga of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; what meaning his life and death served in our collective history.

MLK waves at crowds in Washington, DC.

He was for equality,

for all people, you and me,
Full of love and goodwill,

hate was not his way.

The fervent celebrations of 2012 seemed to mark the true inauguration of the new decade, one that holds much hopes and dreams for reprieve from the economic and war ravaged trials of the previous. In King's time, we were likewise at war abroad (Vietnam) and in turmoil at home (civil rights). Yet it is the repeated cycles of excess, intolerance, violence and bloodshed in the historical context that gives weighty meaning to these lyrics.

Will the murders never cease,

Are they men or are they beasts?

What do they ever hope, ever hope to gain?

...always living with the threat of death ahead.

Substitute “we” for “they” and one appreciates Dr. King's words that ours is a shared destiny, not just in Dr. King's America, but wherever on the planet we call home and country. “Are (we) men or are (we) beasts? First, to treat others inhumanely dehumanizes the perpetrator as well. Octavia Butler shared the insight, “All that we touch we change, all that we change, changes us.” Second, when will we evolve beyond our primitive instincts and ancestral prejudices? What separates us from the beasts is our self awareness and with self-awareness comes the ability for rational thought, ideas, and choice. Saying goodbye to 2011 with the idea that we can draw a line in the sand and decide when to end a war says as much that in 2012 we can thoughtfully declare a loftier goal—the end of all hierarchical violence.

Martin Luther King, Jr monument (2011) in Washington, DC

Will my country fail, stand or fall?

Is it too late for us all?

And did Martin Luther King just die in vain?

We will look at how we could accomplish that in part 2 of this post. Until then enjoy this MLK tribute by one of my all-time favorites, “the high-priestess of soul, Miss Nina Simone.”



Debut of “Why (The King of Love is Dead) at Westbury Music Fair

The lyrics of this song was crafted by the Nina Simone band bass player, Gene Taylor.

Image credits: Wikipedia, Georgetown Campus Ministry, DePaul Law.

Video: Youtube