Sunday Night With John: Bowie and MLK Jr.

I doubt to many people put David Bowie and Martin Luther King Jr. in the same sentence very often. It wasn’t something I intended to do but I find myself in a moment where Bowie and MLK Jr. have intersected in my life. Last night I attended a Bowie costume contest coupled with a Bowie karaoke in remembrance of his life. And tomorrow we remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s contributions pushing our society forward.  Both men left impressions on the world and left a legacy for future generations to gain inspiration through listening to their voices. One did so by songwriting, singing and preforming and the other by using the eloquence of the spoken word.

As I sit here on Sunday, a day after watching so many people dress-up as their favorite era David Bowie and belt out many of his hits and dance the night away, I am in awe of what the creative mind can accomplish. Years after his biggest hits, Bowie is still inspiring young and old alike to become their own version of “Starman.” The creative juices that flowed out of Bowie were infectious and while those who debated his difference, his oddity, or his sexaulity, he stuck to his mission of creating art that inspired.  David Bowie in his own words: “I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.”  

Getting ready to tackle tomorrow means we will take time out of our day to remember Martin Luther King Jr., the man who lead the civil rights movement with compassion, not hate. Who spent his days trying to heal, instead of creating more scars. MLK Jr. refused to give into hate that often came from his doubters, criticizers and hater. He stuck to his convictions of compassion as he once stated, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

Recently, I have spent a number of hours recently thinking about my own message and how I’m attempting to change the culture that I live in to challenge the way we think about emotions. I have also been thinking a lot about how I will continue to put my message forward. I hope that I have an ounce of Bowie’s creative ability and a smidgen of MLK Jr.’s compassion. Two men we rarely connect both left us such a great example and the two criss-crossed in my life this weekend which is greatly appreciated. These two men who are polar opposites tonight come together to give us guidance on the best way we can change our world with free creative expression and unbounded compassion.