Letters From Facebook Jail: Day 4

Baby Steps In The Path Of Martin Luther King

When I realized I was banned from Facebook for a month, I contemplated doing a daily reflection on corporate ownership of the media and the silencing of the voices of average people. The title “Letters From Facebook Jail” just sounded good to me. It wasn’t long before it occurred to me I was borrowing from a title used by Martin Luther King Jr., Letter From A Birmingham Jail.

It seems arrogant, doesn’t it, to tie my tiny little cause and thoughts to one of the greatest men of the 20^th Century? I thought about changing it for fear of looking ridiculous. In the end I stuck with it because I believe there is never a bad way to recall Martin Luther King’s name, message, and struggle to the world. It is done too seldom. Think how much more often you’ve heard Freddie Mercury’s name in the last year compared to Martin Luther King (no offense to fans of Mr. Mercury).

It is the tendency of people who appreciate people like Martin Luther King to refrain from mentioning him out of modesty or a reverence for the man himself. And while there is nothing wrong with modesty or reverence for our idols, it is a weakness that can be and is played upon by people who have no modesty of their own nor reverence for the likes of Dr. King. The life and example of Martin Luther King was a profound moment in history, and we should not be afraid to echo his thoughts and aspirations in order to keep his vision alive.

I fully realize that my small efforts are as a toddler’s timid first steps compared to a man who walked many arduous journeys. And yet the effort must be made. Were we able to ask Dr. King whether he would prefer to be emulated or revered, I have no doubt what his answer would be. He has left us ample clues as to what he believed ordinary people could do to make the world a better place. He would say “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.” He would have said to those who sought to further his message “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

We do not have to believe ourselves great or worthy to follow the examples of Martin Luther King and all those who have stuck their necks out for the betterment of humanity. We have only to believe that the cause itself is great and worthy, and the cause will require every one of us to do our part. Great men by themselves will never bring about great change. Great men are borne aloft by the many who become aware of the greatness innate not only in themselves but in all humanity. Great men can only achieve great things when they are sustained by a movement, and a movement is only sustained by the efforts, vision, and sacrifice of a myriad unknown people who have caught a glimpse of a better future, or can no longer tolerate the injustice of the present.

I am increasingly coming to understand that the greatest of men cannot reshape the world when the clay is not yet ready to be molded. Had Martin Luther King been born a hundred years earlier, his message would have been drowned out by the cracking of the whip of the man who called himself his master. The times may not make the man, but the times make the man’s mission possible. And the smallest actions of the least of us help make the times what they are.

No, the world must be made ready if we wish to have leaders worthy of our support. Each of us must do what we can to clear the path for leaders wise enough, brave enough, and honest enough to lead us to the future we require.

Look about you. There are so many right now showing tremendous courage in standing up for truth and justice, for the rights of the oppressed and the poor. We have but to do our part in preparation and the required leaders will emerge from within a community demanding change. They will emerge from movements that foster the finest qualities and the most beautiful of visions. It is our mission to find what little greatness we have within us and bring it into the open for others to see. Seek out those doing generous deeds and they will inspire you, but you will inspire them as well. We are truly in this together. It is time we not merely entertain the idea but live it.

Seek courage and honest motivation in yourself, because though you may not be a leader like Martin Luther King, the challenge we have before us is the same one King saw before him. We still have what King called the “three major evils —the evil of racism, the evil of poverty, and the evil of war. We have slept for nearly 50 years since the death of Martin Luther King, and in that time the situation has grown even more critical. For 50 years we have awaited another leader to fix our problems. But he or she will never come until we have created a situation that is hospitable for such a one. The crisis point has arrived and we must each of us do what we can. And doing that, we must find ways to do more, in ways small or large.

And so I make my little protest while sitting in Facebook jail, refusing to be silenced. I’m fully aware that I am merely splashing about in the shallow end of the pool. But the whitecap of a wave that reaches skyward, that shines brightly above the water, is pushed upward by an unseen force from below. Let’s make some waves.

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