The Literacy of the Soul

Introduction

"Can we all get along?"

– Rodney King

On the third day of the 1992 L.A. riots, Rodney King (the young man whose beating by LAPD officers had sparked the uprising) made an emotional plea for peace. At the time, some critics mocked his words as naive and immature. But when I heard him on my TV, it went straight from Rodney's heart to my heart. Why it struck me so intensely was a bit of a mystery. Something I still think about.

I'm about to turn 89 years old on December 5th, married to my wife Kathleen for 61 years. Looking back over this long, improbable journey, I sat down to write out some of my deepest reflections on human nature, love, and the mystery of all of it… the short version of course. 

AI has been knocking at our doors. I feel compelled to answer and say "hello".  Because writing is still a journey for me, I used AI for the first time as a collaborative partner--a high-tech pencil to help me smooth out the rhythm of my thoughts into a prayer-like poem. The technology helped catch the beat, but every ounce of the soul belongs to my story.  

I'm sharing this with you today to remind you that it is never, ever too late to find your voice, claim your truth, and stand in awe of this life.  

P.S.  My human editor is still on the job.

POEM: The Literacy of the Soul

Oral language delay, I did not start talking until I passed three. 

At fourty-eight I learned to read.

Almost eighty-nine years breathing the air of this earth...

And I am only just beginning to see.

For we do not truly understand the things of life

until we have walked through them.

For decades, language was a locked door for me,

But the quiet voice of truth called me out of the silence,

demanding that I share with others what I have discovered:

There is a science to teaching reading and an absolute truth, 

that teaching a child, teen or an adult how to read is an act of love.

We are being called to unlock the language.

I learned to read; I became a literacy advocate--

not just advocating the importance of teaching reading, but teaching liberation, 

breaking the chains that keep minds locked away.

And the deepest lesson I found on the printed pages is simple, ancient grace:

To love: 

To hold a brotherly love for one another,

measuring it by the love we bear ourselves.

For love is the fundamental element, 

the only bedrock of human brotherhood.

Consciousness is a mystery we carry---

at times a bright star, burning in the open sky,

at times a dark night, vast and unyielding.

Life remains hidden behind a veil.

Every person is a world unto themselves, sacred, secret, and unique.

There will never be another me.

We can only ever know what our own feet have trod.

We know nothing of the depth of another soul. 

And so, at eighty---nine years, after a lifetime of fighting for words, 

I do not claim to have conquered the dark.

I stand before the vastness,

humbled, quiet, 

and beautifully mystified.

We are well on our way to teach the world how to read with science, technology, and love.

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