A Hijacked Legacy

Posted on January 19, 2014 by curtsavagemedia

ImageAs Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approaches each year, we are reminded by the media of the legacy King left.  His message of racial equality is highlighted and discussed in churches, schools and civic meetings all over the world.  King truly was, and remains, an icon of the causes of social equality and justice.  However, his legacy is hijacked when an unfair emphasis is placed to imply his work was only for the sake of black Americans.  Martin Luther King, Jr. carried a burden in his heart for ALL people who faced discrimination or oppression or who lived in poverty, regardless of their ethnicity.  Most white people completely miss this and therefore do not take the time to understand him. 

King may have “had a dream”, but he was no dreamer; King was a “doer”.  In his 39 years, and more specifically his last 24 years, King did more to change the world than most people do in an adult lifespan tripling that.  King’s response to the evil forces causing discrimination, oppression and poverty was to resist them with non-violent and determined action.  King was an avid reader.  His moral and social convictions were influenced by Thoreau and Christian anarchist Leo Tolstoy and also the writings of Protestant theologians Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich.  King privately believed in democratic socialism because of it’s supposed equitable treatment of all citizens, however he rejected communism because it was atheistic, ethically relativistic, politically totalitarian and socially oppressive.  Still, many were convinced King was surrounded by communists, which led to President Kennedy ordering wire-taps to protect King and the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover tapping King’s phone calls in an effort to derail him.

In the last years of King’s life, his vision became more global.  Exactly one year before his death, King gave a speech in New York City in which he said  “A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say “This is not just.” – eerily prophetic.

It’s as if he somehow knew his life would be short.  In King’s April 3, 1968 ‘Mountaintop” speech at the Church of God in Christ’s World Headquarters at Mason Temple, he said the following;  “Well, I don’t know what will happen now……Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place, but I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. ….I’m not worried about anything.  I ‘m not fearing any man.  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord”.  King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.  At king’s funeral, his friend Mahalia Jackson, who shouted “Tell them about the dream!” during King’s famous 1963 Washington speech, sang his favorite hymn “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”  King had once requested that at his funeral, it would be said that “he tried to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and love and serve humanity”. A fitting epitaph indeed.

© 2014 Curt Savage Media

notwordsalone.wordpress.com

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A New Year’s “Revolution”

Posted on January 1, 2014 by curtsavagemedia

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I’ve made New Year’s “resolutions”.  The problem with the word “resolution” is it comes from the Latin root word “resolvere” from which we get our word “resolve”.  To resolve is to decide firmly upon a course of action.  My resolutions usually fail from my lack of disciplined resolve to follow the course of action decided upon.

I needed a stronger action word: something that could start the moment I thought of it; something that could even begin in my thoughts themselves.  My search for motivation led me to the word “revolution”.  A first look at definitions did more to discourage than inspire – “Orbital motion about a point, especially as distinguished from axial rotation: the planetary revolution about the sun.”  Great.  I had been “orbiting” around my goals far too long with inertia and distraction throwing me away rather than toward them.  But then, I found my Ebenezer; the marker stone in my road to indicate a change in direction – a fresh beginning.  My “New Year’s Revolution” stands on this definition – “A far-reaching and drastic change, especially in ideas, methods, etc.”

Resolutions often begin with verbal announcements – “Public Resolution number 42; let it be resolved that…..”  They then fall to the ground as words alone.  With this column being titled “Not Words Alone”, there is implication of impending action; something WILL happen as a result of spoken or written words, or even silent ponderings.  Political candidates often campaign on a platform of “change”.  They feed on the discontent of the masses claiming “Tired of the “Same Old”?  Vote for me and I promise to bring changes!” only to become asteroids drifting in the same old orbits.

For some, time is the enemy.  For others, time is a friend.  The parade of time reduces the remaining happy days of some while, at the same time, placing healing distance between the brokenhearted and the day that brought them sorrow.  Most of my days are filled with blessings, and for that I am thankful.  One could say that makes it easy for me to think positively.  However, I’ve picked or been handed my share of lemons; those bitter skinned fruits with inedible sour flesh.  Personally, I think they’re wonderfully symbolic for this reason.  Their very nature challenges us to transform them into something good.  The addition of sugar changes the sour juice into a sweet treat.  Even the tough, bitter rind gives zest to boring recipes.  However, without change, lemons remain as they are – bitter and sour.

As blessed as my life is, there are always things that need at the very least, a minor “revolution” to take place, and so I share my closing thoughts of 2013:

Time marches on, and now once again, a new year approaches; the old year will end.  Time – priceless to purchase, too precious to waste; to be a good steward, I now must make haste.  Shun piles of stuff, all that glitters and clatters; our love for each other is really what matters.  We’ll begin this fresh year that’s now nearly started, with more joy and  grace than the one soon departed, with no sad regrets for the failure of plans, but in faith and contentment with God’s gifts at hand.

© 2013 Curt Savage Media

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Peace

Posted on December 18, 2013 by curtsavagemedia

There are many ideas of what the word “Peace” means.  Dictionaries all seem to focus on a definition that emphasizes the absence of war, conflicts or other violent events.  This understanding of the word has been the focus of anti-war protests of every generation.  These protests were oftentimes not very “peaceful”; events replete with noisy marches, noisier chants and speeches and even frequent violent and destructive behavior.

The concept of peace has inspired many artists to create symbols, structures and songs meant to remind us of the necessity, and our responsibility, to press on toward the pursuit of world peace.  The “peace symbol” with its three lines inside of a circle was originally created by a British artist as a graphic of the semaphore letters “N’ and “D” to symbolize the words “Nuclear Disarmament”.  American hippies exported the symbol across the pond in the 1960’s where it became our “peace symbol”.  John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band released the single “Give Peace a Chance” in 1969.  The lyrics cite all the things people are talking about and trying out and the singer urges us to “give peace a chance” as if peace is something that will grow like bean sprout if we just let it.  Then there is the “Peace Bridge”, built in 1927 and named to commemorate 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada.  Traveling on the Pearce Bridge is not very peaceful.

Peace has been associated with harmony, enlightenment, understanding, passiveness, calmness, self-denial and a host of “isms”.  But, what if peace was a state of mind wholly independent of external correlation or qualification?  In other words, what if peace could exist regardless of one’s station, circumstances or situation?  Well, it can.

Have you ever heard the phrase “peace of mind”?  How about the saying “I you are still calm, then you obviously don’t understand the situation”?  The phrase is the response to the saying that follows it.  In the midst of turmoil, peace of mind is a difficult thing to achieve.  The tyranny of the moment would dictate that panic is in order.  Chaos thrives in an environment void of peace.  Stress is the “anti-peace”.  In the Bible’s 57th chapter of the book of Isaiah, God declares “There is no peace for the wicked”.  He defines the wicked as “those who still reject me are like the restless sea which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt.” 

To have peace, one must first know peace.  To know peace, one must know the source of peace.  I’ll give you a hint; it cannot be purchased at Wal-Mart or online.  Peace is a gift given by God.  It is given like a life ring thrown to one who has fallen overboard and is being overwhelmed by the waves.  Peace is the “calm” that helps us carry on.  It is the Spirit that steadies the hand upon the stick of a plane about to land on the Hudson River.  Peace is not the absence of troubles. Peace is knowing and trusting God who can deliver us through, or from, any of those troubles.  That peace that surpasses all understanding is my sincerest wish for you.

© 2013 Curt Savage Media

notwordsalone.wordpress.com

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Joy

Posted on December 13, 2013 by curtsavagemedia

Naomi at Nela Park 2011The dish soap I remember most from my childhood is Proctor & Gamble’s “Joy” brand dish soap.  Joy was a major soap opera sponsor – how fitting.  P&G’s product slogan for Joy was “From grease to shine in half the time”.  This was the first soap that I remember liking how it smelled.  It didn’t have a chemically, soapy smell – it smelled like lemons!  The container was a nice bright, sunny yellow color.  This dish soap just looked and smelled happy.

When it was my turn to wash the dishes, Joy made my job easier; the food practically slid off the plates!  Something else I remember about Joy dish soap is the bubbles.  After I put some soap on the dish brush, I would set the bottle back on the counter and a small burst of tiny bubbles would fly up from the spout and float around the sink – probably from me squeezing the air from the bottle.  The sight of the little floating bubbles made me happy.  It seems the chemical engineers, the packaging designers and the marketing folks at Proctor and Gamble did everything they could to make sure that Joy made customers happy – and it did.  However, as happy as we were with Joy, Joy was not “joy”.  When the happiness in the bottle was gone, so was our joy.

Happiness can be quite narcissistic – dependent on a continual diet of getting what it wants in order for it to remain at high levels.  The quest for perpetual happiness can become a selfish addiction; an addiction without regard for the happiness of others; an addiction that lives by denying and anesthetizing itself against a less than happy reality.  Nirvana is the address of unending happiness – an address with no permanent residents.

True joy is something deeper than a sunny yellow, pretty smelling, bubbly bottle of dish soap.  Mark Zimmerman, morning host on Moody Radio Cleveland, at 90.1 FM locally, said something on December 4th that really got my attention.  He always shares things that make me think, but this word really spoke to me.  Mark said “Happiness is an emotion.  Joy is a condition.”  Exactly!  This condition comes from not expecting to be constantly happy, and from understanding the secret of contentment.  It gives one the ability to appreciate and embrace all of life as a complete package – a package that contains both good and bad.  Joy comes from believing in what you know to be right, even when it cannot be seen; like knowing even on the foggiest night, that the North Star is still there, even though you can’t see it.

Joy is not about having a “Pollyanna” attitude or blind optimism.   Sometimes, joy and happiness combine to create euphoria.  At other times, joy is just a small spark that powers the “in spite of” attitude that pushes you up life’s mountainsides.  Choosing joy is a step of faith – a decision to be “OK” with how things are, even without guarantees for the future.  Joy is an internal compass that points away from despair and toward hope.  It is like music in your soul that no one else can hear, but everyone else can see.

© 2013 Curt Savage Media

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Lost and Found

Posted on October 4, 2013 by curtsavagemedia

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Have you ever lost anything?  I once saw a T-shirt that said “Of everything I ever lost, I miss my mind the most.”  I sometimes think I could wear that shirt!  I’ve lost the normal things like keys, small tools, glasses and the like.  Speaking of glasses, I had a boss who used to push his glasses up on top of his head, promptly forget doing that and then walk the halls asking everyone if they had seen his glasses.  Poor guy!

Even if I eventually find that which was lost, my luck doesn’t generally run like the luck of Welsh farmer Ifor Edwards.  This farmer lost his keys in a grassy field on his farm.  He enlisted the help of some friends who like to treasure hunt with metal detectors.  After a short while, they found Edwards’ keys, along with more than a dozen rare medieval coins from the 14th and 15th centuries worth thousands of today’s dollars!

I never watched “Lost” – the show, but I understand the premise of the show had something to do with survivors of the crash of an airliner flying from Australia to Los Angeles.  The plane crashes on some weird island and these actors interact with each other and “others” they discover on the island.  Never really “lost” but highly paid, the characters caused the show to be wildly popular; certainly a much more desirable scenario than being lost for real.

Our church family has begun a tradition of going as a group to an area corn maze every autumn.  This year, Irons Mill Farmstead in New Wilmington was chosen.  The maze was cut in a Pittsburgh Steelers theme.  Promotional ads show the design in a photo taken from a plane.  However, at ground level, the maze just looks like a field of corn with a few paths cut into it here and there.  Once inside a corn maze, it’s easy to become disoriented and to begin walking in circles.  At Coolspring Corn Maze, my daughter guided us through the maze by listening for, and orienting toward, the loud music playing in the dining shelter near the maze entrance.  Without that music, from my perspective, all I could see was a lot of corn stalks.

Every once-in-a-while, we stumbled upon a short observation tower.  Standing in those towers let me see something I couldn’t see while I was down in the maze.  I gained a new perspective by being able to climb slightly above that which had me lost and confused.  From up on a hill nearby, I could see much of the maze.  If I could have flown high above the maze, I would have been able to see all the places I felt hopelessly lost, and would have been able to easily see the path that would have set me free from the maze.

Like the Welsh farmer or my boss who asked others for help to locate that which was lost, we can ask for help to lift us high above our troubles so we can see the situation in a better perspective.  We have a Heavenly Father who is a finder of lost sheep.  He can certainly rescue us from any of life’s mazes!

© 2013 Curt Savage Media

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Why?

Posted on September 26, 2013 by curtsavagemedia

Children love to ask “Why?”  My friend’s son used to frequently ask “Dad, why is the sky blue?”  Gary came up with a humorous answer.  “Well son, that is really two questions.  “Why” is a big question that people have been trying to answer for a very long time, and no one has been able to answer it yet.  Is the sky blue?  Yes.”  His son would then respond “But why?”

Were you ever told “Because I said so” or “That’s just the way it is”?  I never really liked those answers.  I usually thought “Who died and made YOU God?”  Is that what the “Why Question” is really all about – a questioning of authority?  By whose authority is this answer being certified as ”true and correct”?  Maybe it’s also about defining “true” and “correct?  Adam Savage, from the Discovery Channel show “MythBusters”, radically states “I reject your reality and substitute it with my own”.  It’s funny how popular culture defines a radical as one who rejects norms or accepted truths.  In mathematics, the term “radical” means “relating to or proceeding from a root, or starting point”.  This implies there IS a reference point from which one departed.

National Search and Rescue School taught me how to determine a reference point, or ‘datum”, from which I could commence a search for survivors of marine accidents.  The datum calculation takes into account the passage of time and forces such as wind and waves, which cause the search object to drift away from the last reported position.  By deploying a datum marker buoy equipped with a radio signal transmitter, no matter how far away from the original distress location we searched, we could always go back to our reference point, or datum – the most likely place to find survivors.  Without a reference point, we could have searched aimlessly over millions of miles of ocean.

Searching for answers without a stationary reference point, or truth base, can feel just as aimless.  Without knowing the facts, trying to figure out “what” happened can be confusing depending on whom you ask.  “When” and “where” did it happen?  Just look at the time stamp on the “selfie” you took of yourself with your cell phone standing in front of “what” happened.  “How” did it happen?  Ask your parents.  If you are parents, you should know this one by now.

The “Why? question” is much more difficult to answer.  Sometimes, even with a good knowledge base and excellent understanding, we can’t find an answer.  Understanding “what” happened, or “how” it happened doesn’t necessarily answer “why?” (just ask a five year old).  Things like “cause” and “effect” have to be explained.  Physical results explain the “effect”, but “cause” – that implies someone or something caused it – more questions about who or what.  Is Schrodinger’s cat really dead?  That depends on who you ask and whether the box is opened or closed.  Speaking of boxes, shaking a box full of clock parts will not produce a clock.  Why?  God’s rules make God’s world tick.  Ask Him – He’s big enough to handle the tough questions.

© 2013 Curt Savage Media

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