In Honor of the Unreasonable
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” George Bernard Shaw
Forty years ago today, an unreasonable man was assassinated. He was 39. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Just as we all sat in disbelief on September 11, 2001, my family and I watched the newscast over and over on April 4, 1968.
It’s hard to believe he could have accomplished as much as he did in such a short life. So many don’t figure out their life before reaching 40. And here was this man, this passionate, profound, and powerful speaker, challenging a status quo that classified most of the US population as second-class citizens.
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a unique leadership style. He was intense, intelligent, powerful, compassionate, and clear about his mission. He infused his speeches with that emotion, and moved hundreds of thousands with his resonant voice.
At the ripe young age of 28, he created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, one of the pivotal leaders in the the civil rights movement back in the 1950′s. Over the next 11 years he pushed, he questioned, he led boycotts, and he passionately stood up for his beliefs, consequences be damned. Not many people are willing to go to the mat for their vision. He did, and he knew he was taking his life in his hands.
On the night before he was assassinated, King gave his famous “Ive been to the Mountaintop” speech:
“… 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.
And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain.
And I’ve looked over.
And I’ve seen the promised land.
I may not get there with you.
But I want you to know tonight,
that we, as a people will get to the promised land. ”
This is what it looks like to be a leader who makes a difference. In his short life, he mattered. He was most definitely unreasonable and courageous in his unreasonableness.
King made a lot of people uncomfortable in his quest for a better America. He asked dangerous questions about long-held beliefs, about entitlement, social mores, accepted behaviors. He made us look at the dark underbelly of 1950′s America. He wondered aloud about deep divisions between the very rich and the very poor. He rattled cages of the powerful. And he paid with his life.
Martin Luther King, Jr. changed America forever. His prodding made us question the way we treat other human beings. He understood that once the scales have fallen from our eyes, we can never go back. His leadership made us rethink our own belief systems and our laws. And we’re better off because he lived.
In Memory
Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
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