Hero Worship

While Beckham napped this morning, I took some time to read and write and think, and my thoughts kept circling back to today's holiday and the man whose life inspired it. Outside of the perfunctory education on Martin Luther King, Jr. that was doled out to us in grade school, I hadn't known much about the man until I was a grad assistant teaching at UT. I was looking for a piece of writing to juxtapose against an essay I was assigning by Malcolm X. Because I knew that Malcolm X as a figure would be controversial, I wanted an author who would contrast Malcom's combative nature. I ended up assigning the class to read both MLK, Jr. and Malcom X, and the discussion that followed was one of the more engaging experiences of my teaching that year.

Yet, when I began to study on who MLK, Jr. was -- outside of the "Black History Month" fact sheet -- I found that my early characterization of him was far too simplistic. Attending a rural school in the south, I had always been aware that there were those whose feelings about his birthday were ... less than celebratory. When the country boys in my grade gave criticism of Dr. King, the explicit nature of their remarks made them seem less than credible, to say the least. Years later, though, I discovered that some criticism of MLK, Jr. - from blacks, whites, and other shades of people - was not only not racially motivated, it was true.

I was stunned. The picture I had held of him in my mind, his leadership, his sense of composure in the face of violent oppression, his having a dream ... it was hard to hold that picture up next to one of a man who was dishonest, who consorted with "less than exemplary" men for political purposes, who cheated on that pretty wife I'd seen so many pictures of. I knew, of course, that learning the "ugly stuff" about him didn't make any of his goodness disappear, but it was still hard for me to have that simple, laminated classroom poster version of him torn to shreds.

Isn't it always like that, with our heroes? We want them to be infallible, impenetrable creatures ... and they disappoint. We build them up in our minds, not even because they ask us to, but because we need them to be somehow above our own failings. Before the age of investigative reporting and round-the-clock media, those in the public eye could shield their iniquities from our view. Today, in an age where scandal sells, you'd be hard pressed to find a heroic figure left unblemished.

As a wife, and as a Christian, I think the news of MLK's extramarital affairs was the toughest bit of truth to swallow. He was a pastor, a leader -- a father. How could you? I want to ask. And just as soon as that last question pops out of my mouth, the conviction rises from deep in my gut. How many times in my life could that question have been asked of me?

Today, as I think of how important this man was (and is) to our history as a country, I am reminded once again of just how few are the times when our lives fall into pretty little categories. Much more often, we are stripped of our childhood notions of legalism and are forced to wrestle with grown-up reality: truth encircled by thorns, goodness with inadequacies gnawing like bread mold, grace stained by our own sin. Such is the world we live in.

At the end of the day, the legacy of Dr. King, for me, speaks more loudly than the whispers of his scandalous associations. Simply put, without MLK, Jr., the civil rights movement as we know it would not have progressed as it did. I shudder to think of what that might have meant for schools like the one I teach in, churches like the one I attend, as well as the society in which I will raise my son. I too dream of a world where my kid and all others might be judged solely on the content of their character... I am thankful for the sacrifices made by men like MLK, Jr., and today I honor those like Him who committed their lives (imperfect as they were) to promoting peace and showing God's love for all of humanity.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we deal with heroes and role models in the modern day. Does their human faltering (like David, an adulterer who repented and was called a man after God's own heart) make them more accessible to us? Less impressive? And how does this all connect to the hero worship (seemingly at a climax around the inauguration) of president-elect Obama? I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read "Yes we did." Did, as in past tense. As if this person felt that by electing the right person, all would be solved. Is that naive? Is it dangerous?

You can check here for more info on the truth among the rumors about MLK, Jr. There are plenty of other pages devoted to this, but this seemed pretty concise and had credible sources listed at the bottom.

I'll close with my favorite quote from MLK, Jr. It was part of a speech he gave, and in this particular quote he is addressing reaction to the burning of churches in Birmingham, AL. I have it posted on the wall of my classroom, and I often use it to spark discussion with my students:

"It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation, not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people ... but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say wait on time."