The ultimate measure of a man (woman) is not where he (she) stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he (she) stands at times of challenge and controversy. -- Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
History continues to repeat itself. I read this quote and it still rings true almost 50 years later. Accepting the status quo is easy, challenging it is not. Over and over, across the world and across time we can point to cultures that err on the side of conformity. Accepting unthinkable behavior because it is easier to look the other way than stand up and voice your opinion if it differs from popular opinion.
In 2011, I would expect that Dr. King would have hoped his quote would be outdated and revised. Is it his brilliance that predicted human nature decades after his death or is our ignorance that allows it to still remain relevant?
The recent occurrence of the congresswoman's shooting and a 9-year-old innocent victim being killed is a prime example. After Columbine and Virginia Tech, one would think we would learn a valid lesson. Watching commentators analyze the assailant's life and psychological history, interview people who knew him and were concerned or even scared of his behavior saddens me. It is certainly easy to piece together the answers and create hypotheses after the fact. That doesn't change history.
There is vast amount of research demonstrating the "bystander effect", a phenomenon showing how people turn the other cheek, ignore serious situations when they could have selected to help or assist people under duress. Reality shows like "True Beauty" or ABC's "What Would You Do?" set up scenarios and test people's courage and strength. More often than not, people do not take a stand. They feel it is "not their business", "they are intruding", or "not their responsibility." They err on the side of abstaining versus involvement. That is a shame.
What if we did as Dr. King so clearly envisioned. What if our society started building their strength in order to love? What would our world look like? These past few months, the media has highlighted bullying and its consequences-fatal consequences, acts of violence like the once just taking place in Arizona, in addition to serious social issues that run the gamut from hate crimes, bigotry, animal cruelty, sexual assault and harassment. People read the news and are shocked. "How does this continue to happen?" "This has to be stopped!" Politicians stand up and talk about it. But what does our society really do about it? Not much.
Bullying on all levels is depicted in every day life. Reality programs showcase people being mean to one another and are rewarded with high ratings. "Mean girls" have become a cultural norm -- young and old. We watched financial moguls like Madoff et al. steal the savings of others, hedge funds and financial institutional leaders bullied their shareholders, and the list goes on and on. As adults, we have some nerve to ask why bullying among children has risen and become dangerous. Our culture sets the tone and allows the problems to persist. It is possible that children are expressing our society's anger and aggression.
In honor of one of our history's greatest leaders, a man who was an activist without using violence, and who built community and relationships to create change, let us vow to take a stand in times of challenge and controversy. I too have a dream. I want our youth to unleash their power and potential, using their strength to respect others, advocate, innovate and build diverse circles of influence to create impact in their world. The only way to make this dream come true is for all of us to find the strength to align our actions with our values, refuse to accept unethical behavior and fight hard to correct the moral injustices that prevail, even if it seems difficult and unrealistic. We owe that to our future generation.