In these turbulent times in which we live, I think a lot of us are gaining clarity on what it is that matters most to us – and especially on what principles are non-negotiable for us … the lines we simply will not cross, no matter what the circumstances. I think about this not just as a regular citizen, but perhaps even more so as a member of the media – as someone who believes in balance and fairness and in offering up perspectives that might not align with my own. It is so important for us to develop and strengthen our capacity to see issues and disputes from someone else’s point of view, and to be humble enough to recognize and admit how fallible and ignorant we sometimes are. So true.
And yet ….
And yet, it is just as important for us to be clear about those bedrock principles for which we must take a stand, for which we are unwilling to concede so much as an inch. As a Lutheran, I can’t help but think about the words “Here I Stand- I Can Do No Other,” uttered by Martin Luther in an era every bit as tumultuous as our own. He saw corruption and could not remain silent – and for him, it was not a matter of “you can go ahead and believe that, but I would rather believe this.” It was a matter of “This is wrong. Absolutely, positively wrong. And I must do all I can to change this.” And no matter what it was going to cost him- even if it cost him his very life- he would devote everything he was and everything he had to reforming the church that he loved so much. And he did. And although he unintentionally ended up created an entirely new church, he was also the main catalyst in the Catholic church’s own reformation. But imagine the courage it took!
Here I Stand. I Can Do No Other.
I happen to be writing this blog on the anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. – another man who dedicated his life and his being to the eradication of racial persecution in this country through peaceful means. But don’t mistake Dr. King’s devotion to non-violence as hesitancy or uncertainty – or lack of courage. If anyone was a coward, it was the racists hiding behind white hoods who simply could not face up to the evil and unfairness of their own racism and lashed out in any way that they could. And if the people on the other side of that divide had backed down out of fear, we would be living in a very different country today. But Dr. King and those who stood with him were not about to back down. As Dr. King thundered the night before he was shot, “I’m not fearing any man!” And the strength of his convictions is an example to us all of what it means to live a life of character and integrity.
Here I Stand. I Can Do No Other.
As much as I am thinking about Martin Luther (in this 500th anniversary year of the posting of his famous 95 theses) or about Martin Luther King Jr. on the date of his assassination 49 years ago, I am thinking even more about baseball legend Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the major leagues. It’s in part because we’re at the beginning of a new seasons of major league baseball – but also because I recently watched the film 42, which chronicles Robinson’s story with tremendous emotional potency. Most of you know at least something about Robinson himself – a brilliantly gifted athlete who possessed both the courage and the restraint to withstand an astonishing barrage of hatred and derision, especially in the beginning. One can only shake one’s head in wonder at what he endured and how graciously he endured it.
For as powerful as Robinson’s own story is, I find the story of Branch Rickey just as compelling. He was the executive of the Brooklyn Dodgers who was relentlessly insistent that the color barrier in major league baseball must be broken – and it was his courageous signing of Jackie Robinson that did it, but it was in no way easy. There were all kinds of players with the Dodgers who thought it was a terrible idea, and nearly every other owner and manager feared this development and resented Rickey for making it happen. But Branch Rickey was not going to be deterred, despite receiving hundreds if not thousands of venom- spewing letters that threatened both him and his family with financial ruin, bodily harm, and even death. If anything, such threats only emboldened him. And for as tough a gauntlet as this proved to be, it was something that helped Rickey love the game of baseball once again.
Here I Stand. I Can Do No Other.
And when one of his star players, Pee Wee Reese, came to him with an angry and threatening letter that he had received from friends of his from back home in Kentucky – a letter that called him a n*****-loving carpetbagger – Rickey said that rather than being intimidated or troubled at the charge, Reese should wear that charge as a badge of honor. It was a conversation that changed everything, and in the next game – played in Cincinnati before an especially hostile crowd that included some of Reese’s relatives and friends – Reese made a point of stepping over to Robinson out on the field, in full view of the crowd, and demonstrating in no uncertain terms that he regarded him as his teammate and his equal. The film actually has Reese thanking Robinson because Reese needs to show his family who he really is. And in that moment, he does.
Here I Stand. I Can Do No Other.
So is there a place for patience, for empathy, for understanding, in dealing with people who oppose us on such principles? To a point, yes. It is valuable for us to understand where they stand and why they stand there. But understanding what is behind this kind of wrong does not make it any less wrong; if anything it brings the wrong into clearer focus – and make the line we will not cross clearer as well. And perhaps such understanding actually emboldens us to stand our ground on those principles, whatever they may be, where there is no room for negotiation, no room for waffling …. even when doing so puts us at odds with friends and family … even when we are laying our very lives on the line.
Here I Stand. I Can Do No Other.