Living in coronavirustime 127: Live for another if you would live for yourself

7/31

Sundial. Central Park. 4:30 PM

Boat pond

giant bubbles

social distance in the zoo

The Horses

Today’s (virtual) 5K race (the Wine Run) takes me down the east side of  of Central Park to the Zoo.  A  road I haven’t travelled in at least 5 years. It’s cooler. And shade. Along the bridle trail below the Reservoir. I pass by the model boat pond, usually filled with mini sail boats, completely empty. Pass by the sundial.  This monument to Waldo Hutchins was constructed by the same firm that constructed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. It bears this  inscription: Alteri Vivas Oportet Sit Vis Tibi Vivere and Ne Diruat Fuga Temporium. Loosely translated, these mean, “You should live for another if you would live for yourself,” and “Let it not be destroyed by the passage of time.” I pass a busker with his giant soap bubbles entertaining kids.  Finally, in the Zoo, I pass and watch the seals cruising their circle.  I leave the Zoo, and pause to ponder the sculpture installation of The Horses. by Jean-Marie Appriou. I walk along the south edge of the Park and at Columbus Circle, catch the subway home. 

My friend Steve has invited me to preach his shabbat service and to do a memorial for John Lewis. I start by saying : 

We are living in difficult times. There is profound division in our country, probably the worst I have seen in my lifetime. In such a time, we look to those who can show the way. I use the word “hero” very cautiously. But  John Lewis is certainly one who defines “hero.” There are in history  iconic moments that shape and change a time. We have lived through one of those recently with the brutal death of George Floyd. John Lewis lived one of those moments . On “Bloody Sunday” in 1965, Lewis led the march across the  Edmund  Pettus bridge. Dressed in his Sunday best, suit, white  shirt and tie, under the direction of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lewis was brutally beaten suffering a fractured skull, blood streaming  over his shirt. That iconic moment helped turn American public opinion towards the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965.  Later Lewis would serve 17 terms representing  his district of Georgia. 

There are three things I would  point to: 

1. Discipline.  The Sunday dress was part of this. Lewis  described it like this: Before we went on any protest, whether it was sit-ins or the freedom rides or any march, we prepared ourselves, and we were disciplined. We were committed to the way of peace - the way of non-violence - the way of love - the way of life as the way of living.

2. Absolute commitment to love and non-violence. No matter what.  Lewis understood  that hostility and hatred destroys the one who holds on to it, even when warranted. Never give up. Never give in. Never become hostile... Hate is too big a burden to bear, he said. 

And he said this: “Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul… Lean toward the whispers of your own heart… Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge… But when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice.”

3. Get in the way. Good trouble. Necessary trouble.  We cannot sit idly by. 

One week before he died,Lewis  wrote one last letter to us as we continue in the struggle:

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.

When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.

….and finally this: I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get in trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble.

John Lewis was a man who transcended party, ideology and religion. He lived as one whose life was a way of life. He calls us to live the same way. And calls us to step into that good trouble. Beyond all partisan divisions, we ae called to live loves of common decency, guided by love. It Amy eb our only chance.

I finish the night hosting the community that is the West Park (virtual) Open Mic.