Inspirational Awakening

When I was in college, I went to hear Martin Luther King give a variation of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in the St. Joseph’s University (Philadelphia) gym. There was standing room only and that’s what I was doing at the very back of the gym, near the exit doors. I was really moved by the emotional intensity of his speech but what I remember the most from that day was what happened afterwards.

Rather than leave with the crowd, I decided to hang around to see if I could catch a closer glimpse of him. I got lucky. King and his entourage headed right towards me as they were leaving. I can still see his determined face as he walked quickly by about two feet away from me. As he swept by I remember getting hit with a strong palpable energy force that emanated off of him. I had never felt anything like that before. Over the years, whenever I tell someone that I had heard King speak, the thing I emphasize is the powerful force field that came off the man.

A few years ago I went to hear a Bach Mass performed at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. that was dedicated to Martin Luther King. I didn’t know ahead of time that the concert was in his memory---I had bought a ticket just to hear the performance in that incredible setting. I saw in the program notes that Coretta King, his wife, was in attendance. Cool!

During intermission, I was wandering around the Cathedral and happened to see her in conversation with several people. I walked closer and as I did the people talking to her all left at the same time, leaving her there by herself. So I did the spontaneous thing—I strolled right up to her, clasped her hand, introduced myself, and told her I had had the good fortune to once hear her husband speak. I’ll never forget how she responded. She continued to hold my hand sincerely and warmly as she gazed deeply into my eyes for a long moment. I don’t recall her saying anything. What I felt was a wave of love, as palpable as her husband’s wave of power, course through me.

I never met Nelson Mandella but I once did the next best thing as far as South African civil rights leaders go. I was living in northern England in the early 90’s and once Archbishop Desmond Tutu was invited to speak at a small Ilkley, West Yorkshire church near where I lived. So of course I went. There weren’t many people in attendance so it was easy to get in the short ‘queue” to meet him after he spoke. But the problem for me was that it was Sunday, July 10th. So what?

Well, my spiritual teacher is Meher Baba and July 10th is the anniversary of his Silence which he maintained for 44 years until his death. It is commemorated every year by his followers around the world by a day of total silence. Wanting to preserve my day of silence and to meet Archbishop Tutu, I scribbled a hurried note to him as I waited in line: “Dear Archbishop Tutu, I am keeping silence today in memory of Meher Baba’s 44-year Silence. I loved your speech and I am honored to meet you.”

When my turn came, I handed him the note. He read it carefully and then said, “Ah, brother.” Then he gave me an incredibly long and loving embrace. He then held my shoulders at arm’s length and stared deep into my eyes. What I felt from Archbishop Tutu was a combination of what Martin and Coretta King emanated separately: power and love, both strength and compassion. I was reminded of a quote by Meher Baba, “The things that are real are given and received in silence.”

It’s amazing how just a few seconds in the presence of a great soul can have such a lasting impact. No words were exchanged, or hardly any words, in each of these three encounters. From speaking to numerous people who had met Meher Baba, he had a similar effect, even though he was observing silence. Ditto for Gandhi. I wish there were “five steps” I could give that would enable you to ramp up the quality of your personal presence to the degree that people’s lives would be transformed just by meeting you.

Well, maybe there are. How about these:

1. Find a socially useful cause and devote your whole life to it.

2. Be willing to sacrifice all physical comforts and peace of mind for this cause, even if it means spending 25 years in jail or dying for it at any moment.

3. Totally forget about yourself. For the rest of your life. Don’t talk about yourself at all, lose yourself in the highest ideals of your just cause.

4. Be willing to completely forgive those who in their ignorance and hostility resist the values and reforms you are fighting for.

5. Surrender all results to a Higher Power. Take no credit for anything positive that comes about as a result of your efforts. Also be willing to make all the above sacrifices anyway even if at the end of your days your efforts result in total failure.

There you have it. See you on top of the mountain

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