Solo Exhibition at Center on Halsted Galleries, Chicago 10/16

LIBERUM SPIRITA

Just because we cannot see something doesn't mean it ceases to exist. I have come to redefine some things I had thought to have had a reputation of being nefarious in my past... such as death and desire. Desire is a key part of exploring a spiritual life because it inspires the energy and insight to contribute our lives to the present, collectively with purpose. My deepest desire is to breathe into my next breath by understanding there is no such thing as death, no such thing as limitations, there is no end to any truth. There is an affinity to the absolute sense of infinity. If we can understand libido as infinite, then it is “absolutely” immortal. If we can pause intellectualizing every breath, every thought, every moment, and close our eyes and perpetuate our deepest unhampered desires, we create a dream. 

Dreams are the premonitions toward an evolving future, a higher consciousness. I seek to ask a question in my work that I find constantly asking myself, “Do you know what your dreams mean?”

There is a universe in each and every one of us. Everything that composes the human body makes a star, comes from a star, returns to the stars. Carbon for our muscles. Iron for our blood. Calcium for our bones. Oxygen for our breath. Light matter. Dark matter. We are both and we are all, all at once, every moment. Forever. However, we are more. We are fountains of energy. We are in constant movement, constantly shining. Even when still, our blood and our breath stir within us... and we come into our presence. We are omnipotent.

*Birdo Beaverhousen is an artist. Psychologist. Athlete. Social butterfly. Romantic. Anti-artist. Visionary. Delinquent. Jesuit. Orator. Diplomat. Profane. Writer. Joker. Believer.

*Birdo Beaverhousen was born in 1977. As a native Chicagoan, Birdo has persistently remained devoted to his artistic vision and Thomism philosophy of immortality. He is a self-taught artist who's process invites the observer into a dialogue using all forms of communication possible, whether it be abstract or everyday interaction, “...if art is to live, then it must be emphasized in the most immediate and common objects and experiences in life. Art is not something you do, it is a place you go within yourself and with the observer.” His work emphasizes darker dreams, nocturnal desires and the duality of what one would commonly shun during the light of day, yet connect to other parts during the night. He divides his time between social work and enrichment with the homeless and ex addict re-entries, fund raising for social causes, training for professional marathons, and traveling the world to explore urban culture.  

1.Ex Mortis (24x36, Mixed media on paper)

 2.Divinity (24x36, Mixed media on paper)

3.The Iron Empress (24x36, Mixed media on paper)

 4. Invocare Spirita (24x36, Mixed media on paper)

5. Elysium (24x36, Mixed media on paper)

The Unity Of Martin Luther King

What makes a leader? What separates a leader from a manager and employee? What separates one from the crowd, from the pack? That others can look at him/her and say, “You are different. You are special. You are anointed. You are appointed. You are someone I would like to know. You are someone I would like to follow.” Who unifies you? What can unify the garbage man and the politician? Who shares your vision and strengthens what you believe. The belief that allows you a sense of relief that you are not alone in this world. A belief that you will be understood. A belief that grants your life meaning in your every movement. A belief that even when you are alone, you are alone with everyone, together. Are you the beacon of justice and balance that holds both sides together? Is your consciousness awaken to what you think you believe? Are you thinking about what you are thinking about? Do others believe in what you are thinking? Do you understand who are? Do you know what your dreams mean?

Longevity has its place. A long life is a common goal that unites us all as human beings. It is a basic point of commencement. The precious price of life, the value, the worth, is what Martin Luther King's life long work has addressed as a basic right for all. In his non-violent scope of the struggle for basic human civil rights, he lead people toward their importance and awakened their desire for distinction. He empowered those who never considered themselves worthy or capable of having power, of being first. He demonstrated how we all have the power to share and have the equal opportunity to tap into this powerful collective consciousness. MLK stressed how we all have the opportunity and the right to create our own opportunities, to navigate our own destinies and author our own legacies. How dominance is seen through prominence and prevalence NOT violence and hatred. He urged his followers to harness their instincts in order not to deviate their personalities, deviate society. We all have the right to attention and there is no reason to push others down in order to rise up. There is no reason to classism and exclusivity. How everyone counts in priceless amounts.

The purpose of this essay is not to outline the life and history of MLK, for that would be a feat. Instead, it is about his vision and synergy that unified a nation that began with a man who had a dream, a significance that perpetuates to this day. This essay is in light of his historical demonstrations that organized a culture and brought to light the ethical responsibility and accountability we have for one another as human beings first, then American citizens second. Doctor Martin Luther King was most recognized for the power of his words as an excellent orator. With his spirit of integral belief and the power of his intellectual intelligence, MLK raised a kingdom from ashes and left a legacy that continues to do so to this day.

How do you explain when others are able to achieve things which defy all other assumptions? Simply that, by not plotting out achievement but being what you believe in, being yourself and doing so with authenticity. There is a collective force that binds us all, a mentality that draws us closer to one another, an affinity to share in each others lives. MLK emphasized we must be both, master and servant, simultaneously. It was in this perspective that it was the easiest way to understand one another. If you don't understand one another then you don't understand purpose. His theories not only challenged the norm but challenged authority as we had come to know it. “Creative Maladjusted Nonconformity” is what he considered his non-violent activism. And with his distinguished revolutionary concept he brought into focus a concentrated vision which unified an American nation.

A number of researchers, scholarly doctors, intellects, historians, etc... have sought used various aspects of arts and sciences to translate the individualism of MLK in order to understand his power of charismatic leadership.

"Power, properly understood, is the ability to achieve purpose. It IS the strength required to bring about social, political or economic changes. In this sense power is not only desirable but necessary in order to implement the demands of love and Justice... Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice." (Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967)

Where did MLK attain his power if he was faced limited opportunities growing up as a black male from a middle class baptist family in Atlanta, Georgia? His secure upbringing did not shield him from segregation in the south. It was not until MLK worked on a tobacco farm one summer in Connecticut, before entering college, that the seed of change had been planted in his perspective. His exposure to the lifestyle of the North had fueled his hatred for segregation even further. Little by little, his power began to grow.

“At Morehouse, King favoured studies in medicine and law, but these were eclipsed in his senior year by a decision to enter the ministry, as his father had urged. King's mentor at Morehouse was the college president, Benjamin Mays, a social gospel activist whose rich oratory and progressive ideas had left an indelible imprint on King's father. Committed to fighting racial inequality, Mays accused the African-American community of complacency in the face of oppression, and he prodded the black church into social action by criticizing its emphasis on the hereafter instead of the here and now; it was a call to service that was not lost on the teenage King. He graduated from Morehouse in 1948.” (Britannica, Biography, Martin-Luther-King-Jr)

The here and now was his realization of what his purpose was, to unify and lead a people out of repression. A revolution. A call to action. He wanted to address the problem of the enemy not being out there, but the enemy being within- discrimination, intolerance, a lack of desire putting his fellow men into a trance of conformity, an excuse to do nothing. He also saw people desperate for a change, for a way to a better well-being. It was important for him to be taken seriously, so he had to address the opposing argument, the adverse side with skill, confidence, competence, developing his position concisely. Documenting and comparing what is and what could be. It was not enough to wake his fellow man up, he had to give them tools so they didn't fall back asleep again. Effective refutation takes many forms. He responded to authority not with hate speech of defense but by offering the best possible solutions in common. He earned his power to persuade by examining the best evidence on both sides. His intelligent inquiry built his profound rhetoric which became his license to state his position effectively to all who heard him speak. Whether they were a favorable or unfavorable audience, one thing was absolute, not an ear fell neutral to his words.

Why is it that Martin-Luther-King-Jr led the civil rights movement? He wasn't the only man who lived in a pre-civil rights America. He wasn't the only great orator of the day. Why him? Many people are good at what they do. The thing that differentiates leaders from others is that leaders know why they do it. The secret to their power of leading is they not only know why, but they believe in why they do it. “WHY” is the symbol for what is your purpose, cause and belief. Why does the “organization” you lead, exist. What drives you to this existence and why should people care? People want the easy answers. They want the obvious surface information easily. However leadership is not an external force. It begins from within. MLK reversed the order of the information. In place of waiting to be told, he defined what is and what we can do. He was an innovator because he did it first. He made it clear that it was being first was not about class or placement, it was about the right to the freedom to that right.

One of his famous speeches, “The Drum Major Instinct” sermon, he describes being one of the times he was incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama during his campaign for civil rights in 1963. He took this opportunity to convert through an open calm dialogue with inmates and wardens. And they they stated their case against him, how he should not be protesting and how it was wrong for the whole campaign to oppose what is and how segregation was so right. Then the discussion came to the point to talk about where they lived and how much they earned...

MLK: “You know what? You ought to be marching with us. You're just as poor as a negro. And I said, you are put in the position of supporting your oppressor. Because through prejudice and blindness you've failed to see that the same forces in society that oppress Negroes oppress poor white people. And all you are living on is that satisfaction of your skin being white and the “Drum Major Instinct” thinking that you are somebody “big” because your white. And you're so poor you can't send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march.” (“The Drum Major” Sermon, Martin-Luther-King-Jr., Delivered to his congregation Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on February 4, 1968.)

MLK's focused approach to the root of the problem was truthful, ethical, and respectful. He listened to what they had to say then charismatically reversed the perspective and revealed something going on they chose to ignore because all they ever knew was what they did. MLK's goal was not give them something they didn't have, his goal was to show his opponents that they had already believed in the same thing. He understood opportunity as not chance, but a right that should be withing everyone's grasp and a right that should not be denied by classism, racism, and elite hierarchy.

The authenticity of MLK's speech deliverance portrayed his ingenuity of how and why he felt about what he was doing. He spoke from the heart and not just in structure, he spoke from his heart. He knew the “why” and that is “how” he got people to follow him loyally, that is how people came to trust him because he spoke with truth. MLK emphasized how people were forced to be segregated and that there was an alternative, it was freedom. It was the alternate change and this was a change he was inviting his fellow brother and sisters to take part in. Empowerment was within grasp, it had always been, and he was waking people to the fact that NOW is the time to grasp it not the hereafter. Empowerment was a way to improve communication, a way for him to relate to his followers and increase their feelings of self-efficacy. He encouraged his followers to be involved in decision making that pertained to their livelihood, to take responsibility for their actions, and provide input for improving their own organization, The Cause.

“The Cause,” the purpose, the belief, is what drove MLK to believe that if he could figure out the course to civil rights, it would change the course of the nation. The wardens, guards and other white people whom MLK addressed in jail were looking for the result, the surface value, the easy answer to their complacency, their pursuit to the easy life. The people who believed in MLK's mission worked with him with blood, sweat, and tears. The former just worked for the paycheck. On July 2, 1964, the simple stroke of a pen changed the nation and the civil rights movement took flight.

“At the end of the Second World War, those of us who had participated in that conflict were under the impression that if we were triumphant over fascism and the Nazis, the men and women who returned from that conflict would be celebrated and honored by our nation. Many of us went off to that war and didn't have the right to vote. Many of us went off to that war and didn't have the right to participate in the American Dream. We didn't think about this thing as a dream until Dr. King articulated it.” - HARRY BELAFONTE, Singer and activist. 

It is not just enough to have a dream, you must articulate it in order to bring it into fruition. It is not just enough to have a dream. You must have a strategy, you must have a solid idea of what that dream means in order to execute its vision. This is the process of innovation. Leaders do it first. It is the idea of creation. They bring something new into the world and it is what defines our culture and stirs our purpose of who and what we are as a people. As a charismatic leader, MLK did not just bring his dream to the table, he set the table for the feast of all dreams. This is servant leadership. He put the power in the people's hands and allowed them to discover a new identity. Authorship to a truthful identity is how his servant leadership addressed being first, by addressing the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Leader-first and Servant-first are two different extremes that MLK distinguished explicitly. In between these extremes there are many blends of leadership and he sought an agreement between these oppositions, an eloquent balance by being a complexity of a servant-leader and a charismatic leader.

MLK: “Let me rush on to my conclusion because I want you to see what Jesus was really saying... 'Oh I see... You want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. WELL YOU OUGHT TO BE. If you want to be my disciple, YOU MUST BE.' He re-ordered priorities and he said, 'YES, Don't give up this instinct! It's a good instinct if you use it right. It's a good instinct if you don't distort it or pervert it. Don't give it up! Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first, in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do.' And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it, he said, “Now, brethren, I can't give you greatness. And rather, I can't make you first,' this is what Jesus said to James and John, 'You must earn it. True greatness comes NOT by favoritism but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give. They belong to those who are prepared.' And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful! But recognize, he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.' That's the new definition of greatness. This morning, the thing that I like about it, by giving that definition of greatness means that everybody can be great... because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know about Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”

When one talks about what they believe, they attract others who believe what they believe. Why is it important to attract those who believe what you believe? The law of diffusion of innovation can be applied here. You don't have to know the law to know the arc... There are those who do things first followed by those who early adopt the concept, followed by early majority, late majority supporters, ended with laggards (those who have no option but to join or be left behind). Different parts of the arc effect different parts of our lives at different times. The law of diffusion of innovation tells us if one wants to achieve mass acceptance, mass support, mass impact... one cannot have it until a tipping point is achieved between the innovators/early adopters and the early majority. Then the concept is set into motion. The problem is how does one find the early adopters before one can tip the system?... How do you find those who believe in what you believe? This is the divide that solidarity can resolve. The early majority will not try something until someone else has tried or done it first. It is in creation that innovation reigns supreme. This is where authenticity can set a binary system into motion. MLK was comfortable with his instinct, he was comfortable with himself. His intuition was not intimidated by limitations and obstacles. He along with Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Stokely Carmichael, and the many more that contributed to the Civil-Rights-Movement did it first. They didn't do it to lead people out of oppression, to be a “leader”... They did it for themselves. They were first. Others didn't follow them because of WHAT they did, they followed them because of WHY they did it. What they did is evidence, proof of what they believe. People will do the things to prove what they believe. This is how they gathered support, by identifying. The reason MLK and the others “Fought the Good Fight” is because of how they saw the world and what they were capable of to change it. They wanted everyone to see them. They did it to free themselves and in the process, they freed a nation. They were first.

What would've happened if MLK did not have the desire to take up his position? How would it have effected the course of history? MLK publicly realized his own limitations and mortality. It was in this aspect which he emphasized equality. He did not want his followers to place too much faith in his abilities to offer guidance and lead them in movement. He wanted them to understand and grasp these qualities within themselves so that everyone was equal on the same scale, on the same level. It was his way of equalizing everyone. It was the solution that everyone was fighting for, equality.

August 28, 1963. A quarter of a million Americans, black and white, young and old, men and women, in a show of solidarity, march to the nation's capitol with one thing in mind... FREEDOM. Freedom from segregation, from prejudice, from oppression. It was called the March for Jobs and Freedom but it will be remembered as the tipping point for the fight for civil-rights. Among the speakers, Martin-Luther-King-Jr electrified and inspired the hundreds of thousands with his “I Have A Dream...” speech. MLK hoped a massive and peaceful march to Washington would spur passage of the civil-rights bill. The city braced themselves for violence but the threat was unfounded. It was to be “The greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Not to mention, the largest our nation had ever seen to that day.

How was MLK to deliver a nation from oppression? How was he to raise a kingdom from ashes? Through ethos, pathos, and logos did MLK deliver thee most inspiring and liberating rhetoric which articulated the American dream. MLK used vivid language. “America has defaulted on the promissory note of 'Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness',” this is a bank checking metaphor which related to the campaigns boycotts and the value of African-American dollar. It was only one of the angles his speech leveraged as one of the greatest calls to action.

Two hundred and fifty thousand people descended upon our nation's capital that summer to hear Doctor King's address. There were no invitations sent out. There were no fliers, no website, yet two hundred fifty thousand people showed up... How does one do that? MLK wasn't the only greatest American orator at the time. He wasn't the only man in America who suffered before civil-rights. In fact, some of his ideas were left unexplored. But he had a gift. He didn't base his rhetoric on criticism of what was wrong with America. He based his rhetoric on what he believed. He was fiercely anaphoric in his beliefs, “I believe, I believe...” People who believed in what he believed adopted his cause as their own. Those people assimilated with more people who shared the same beliefs. Soon people began to organize structures to get the word out to even more people. And even more people joined the cause, sharing in the same beliefs of equality. And to everyone's surprise, two hundred and fifty thousand people showed up at the right day, the right time, the right place to hear MLK speak. How many showed up for MLK? Zero. These people assembled for themselves.

The shared beliefs and values they had in common about the American dream and that is what gave them the strength and courage to get on a bus and travel to the capital in the middle of a hot summer. It was their shared beliefs that unified black and white in the march that day. MLK believed there are two types of laws in this world, those that are divine and those that are man-made. We will not be free in a just world until those two types are consistent with one another. The civil-rights movement just happened to be the perfect movement to bring his cause into motion. MLK stated he had a “dream” not an “agenda” because dreams are not a politically structured paradigm. They are visions, connections to alternate dimensions that can be ideal to manifest. Political agendas cannot inspire on this level, if at all. There are different types of leaders. There are those who hold a position of power and authority driven by ego and there are those who are selfless by their ego and they lead to inspire. When we are inspired by servant leaders, charismatic leaders, respectful leaders, we are inspired to be like them. We follow them because we have an affinity to, not because we are forced to. When those leaders start with WHY they do what they do, they tap into the capability of inspiring those around them. At the same time, it is an invitation to those individuals or organizations who inspire them as well.

People followed Martin Luther King not for him, but for themselves. In this solidarity they found the capability of tapping into a different consciousness. Martin Luther King connected to the audience by making them feel safe in trust. Everyone at that same place and time on our nation's capital that day was capable of being a servant to one another, capable of change, capable of leading. They were all capable of changing people's lives, lifting people's spirits, making people think, and getting people to believe in their dreams. That is what innovation is about. Innovation is about creation, and creation is about life, and life is about unity. Martin Luther King brought people together and united them for a common cause. He had an idea, a dream, and he brought it to life. When he stepped out on that stage he connected with the audience and they became one of him. Everyone connected. The speakers and activists were equal. And the marchers in the audience were equal. Everyone was equal.

References and Works Cited:

1. Carson, C. (1987). Martin Luther King, Jr.: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle. Journal Of American History, 74(2), 448-454.

2. Britannica.com

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr

3. Pickert, K., Belafonte, H., Thomas, H., Horowitz, R., Zellner, B., Lewis, J., & ... Smith, J. (2013). One March. Time, 182(9), 46.

4. Mwita, M. (2004). Martin Luther King Jr.'s Lifestyle and Social Interest in His Autobiographical Early Memories. Journal Of Individual Psychology, 60(2), 191-203.

5. EDWARDS, K. (. (2010, Summer2010). REMEMBERING DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Journal of Cultural Diversity. p. 43.

6. Maddox Jr., A. H. (2008, April 3). Forty years after Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. New York Amsterdam News. pp. 12-13.

7. YOUNGE, G. (2013). THE SPEECH. Nation, 297(9/10), 12-18.