Restoring Honor; Reliving the
Dream
by Jim Gerrish
The world came close to seeing a Miracle yesterday (8/28/10).
But the historic time was not yet right because the Miracle did
not take place.
Glenn Beck held a gathering of conservatives on the steps of
the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The title of the
gathering was "Restoring Honor."
Rev. Al Sharpton held a Civil Rights march of liberals nearby
at the future site of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, to
commemorate the 47th anniversary of the historic Martin Luther
King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial.
So Near... and yet so Far
Both groups were gathered peacefully, but separately. They
were held apart because the two leaders of the groups were not
ready for the historic moment prophesied by Martin Luther King,
Jr. Neither of them believed that the Dream could come true that
day. If they had, they would have witnessed a true Miracle; that
conservatives and liberals are all human beings, and human beings
can put aside their differences, if only for a day, and instead
of passing one another, they could have come together for an
historic reconciliation of biblical proportions. But they did
not. Each clung to his own distrust of the "other
side," and neither recognized even for a moment that the
"other side" was the "same side."
Rev. Al Sharpton was, no doubt, guided by his mistrust of
conservatives, linking the idea of conservatism with the white
race of people with whom he has to share this country and with
whom he has struggled over Civil and Equal Rights issues since
the 1960's.
Glenn Beck was, no doubt, guided by his distrust of liberals,
linking their ideas with socialism=communism=something to be
feared.
So each group of people listened to its leaders, nodded their
heads in agreement, and went back home, never realizing that they
could have participated in a true Miracle; a Dream come True. If
only their leaders had led them together instead of keeping them
apart! Can you imagine the shock and awe this would have
inspired? It would have been the culmination of that 47 year old
dream.
But they couldn't see what this devout, born-again non-theist
could see: a group of mostly white people ready to be friends
with a group of mostly non-white people, held apart by the
stubborn clinging to the past of their two leaders. So the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., of blacks
and whites and people of all colors, religions and cultures
coming together and working together to restore honor to this
nation, didn't have much of a chance.
As a non-theist, I could say, "I told you so! Miracles don't
really happen!" But as a human being, I had great hopes that
human beings could actually make the Miracle happen, and then it
would be real... if only for a day.
It still can happen.
Must we wait for a day when all the people who remember the
trials and tribulations of the civil rights movement, when
America truly was divided along lines of race and color, have all
died out?
Must we wait for a time when conservatives, who want no change,
adjust to the liberals who want everything changed... and
immediately! ... have melded into people who can give a little
and take a little?
Then we must continue to wait for that Miracle on the belief that
it still can happen, and hope that humans will not have destroyed
every chance of that ever happening by following leaders who miss
opportunities through lack of vision instead of leaders who seize
every opportunity to bring a truly worthwhile Dream to reality.
It can still happen. It just awaits the right time, a moment
of history that I may not live long enough to see.