One hundred and fifty one years after the end of the civil war, we still cannot resolve the fundamental differences that existed then and to some extent exist now. My purpose here is not to rehash the cause or reasons for the Civil War. We as a people will do that until they lay us down in the Red Clay of Georgia or sit us on the mantel of our heirs.
Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King and there will be hundreds of articles and tributes to him and his crusade for racial freedom. There will also be a white backlash from many who do not consider themselves to be racist. There will be under the breath damnations and outspoken provocations by both sides in the ongoing chasm that exist between the races. That is human nature in its most basic form. Many will say that race relations are worse off now than they were in 1960's. That is open for debate and will continue to be a subject of disagreement for many years to come.
History is not an exact science but more of an interpretation by professional academics who have their own biases and point of view. It takes many years for the emotion to subside in any event in our past. That is true in personal as well as national retrospection. Strong opinions are nothing more but an interpretation of the past based on our human biases. Given enough time we can revise the past to fit our own narrative of Walter Cronkite's sign off
"And that's the way it is" . An honest review of Old Walter's beliefs may cause one to conclude that his sign off should have been "And that's the way
I think it is". That should hardly come as a surprise. He was human and subject to the same prejudices and biases as us all.
I was raised in the South surrounded by historical monuments and tributes to the Confederate Generals and soldiers who fought for a cause that they believed in. It is almost impossible to escape the deep-rooted belief system of a lifetime spent in historical homages to the past. One of the most difficult things in the world to do is to change your belief system when you find yourself on the wrong side of history. Friends, family and peer groups all make it very difficult to shake off the remnants of a lost cause.
My home city, Atlanta, Georgia, today is in the process of renaming many of the streets from the Confederate Generals to the Civil Right Icons from the 1960's. There is a battle about the carving on Stone Mountain, which is a tribute to the Confederacy. Plans are under way to erect a bell on the top of the mountain as a tribute to Martin Luther King. It has caused a resurgence of the KKK that never really went away.
Therefore, when I say that there is a Rebel in every southerner regardless of political bent, I mean that there is a reluctance and resistance to separate beliefs with historical events. Many of us may have had distant relatives that fought in the civil war and that makes it so much harder to admit certain basic facts. Every discussion on the causes of the war generally ends up with a standoff and disagreement.
I am far from aloof from these feelings and emotions, but I do know that changing names on streets and removing artifacts of history does not change that history. There is integrity in standing on your principles and fighting for what you believe to be right and just. But, let me be clear that the honor is in your willingness to make the stand and not in the principles themselves. To think otherwise is to admit that you must adhere to your prejudices without any reexamination.
Wars are fought because humans cannot resolve their opposing views. Generally, it is an aggressor against a resistor. The fact that wars exist does not imply right and wrong, but merely a difference of opinion strong enough to die for. If we could end war with just a simple, "Can't we all just get along" statement then all would be perfect, right. The natural progression of that statement is that we should never voice anything that could possible upset or offend others. Setting up a system to enforce that goal will solve the problems of difference of opinion, right. What happens when you have an opinion that is counter to the majority or those in authority? Well, that should be simple. You just shut up and keep those thoughts to yourself. Don't express them in public. Eventually you will not be able to express them in private either and the whole disagreement will go away.
My solution is founded in the most basic of our common belief system. I don't think it is corny or simplistic to remind myself of the following thirty five words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
If you can reach deep inside of your belief system and reconcile it with the above short ideal, then maybe we can make some progress. If you can't agree with that principle then we have a Gordian Knot to resolve. I believe we can have reverence and even admiration for our ancestors for their gallant stand against what they believed to be a hostile government but at the same time, we must be prepared to admit that their adherence to slavery was misguided not in the tradition that this nation was founded on. A willingness to stand on principle is noble even when parts of that principle is flawed and in conflict common decency. Least those from the northern regions feel a somewhat superior claim on principle; they should be reminded that Lincoln's goal was to preserve the Union and not free slaves. A free people have the right to dissolve their voluntary allegiance to a union that they feel has usurped it powers over the people.
I ask a two simple question here.
- Do you believe that each individual has the right to the "all men are created equal" ideal? If so, we may have made some progress and Dr. King's efforts obviously were not in vain.
- Would you fight a war to preserve slavery if it was still a legal institution in our good old Dixie?
I would point out that the same document referenced above includes another fifty five words which offer a solution:
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.
The argument is not and should not be over race and rights but freedom and tyranny. Changing hearts and minds cannot be accomplished by laws. It must be a result of individual thought about right and wrong. But any government that uses its powers to disallow rights to individuals is a tyrannical government. Segregation was the use of government to implement a flawed interpretation of the Declaration of Independence based on prejudice of the color of one's skin. There are other posts on BCN that point to MLK's quest to be an equal member of this society. Maybe a review of those would aid us all in coming to grips with our prejudice and biases.
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
I have a Dream
