The Drummer Or the Beat
By Neva Sedorcek

Faith as defined by Webster is confidence and trust; the opposite being deceit and dishonesty. With that in mind, I have little faith in any group or organization with more than two members. For me that translates into having little faith in most institutions and organizations that are eventually corrupted by greed, power and monetary gain.

I do, however, have faith in the individual human spirit. Even within the midst of corruption, individuals can dance to their own drummer, but it takes courage, a great deal of perseverance and a strong belief system that supports the common good without a need for personal recognition. Faith assumes positive intent in all of us, and belief that most of us are doing the best that we can do at that particular moment in time. Faith also gives us the strength to continue to follow that drummer even when our surroundings refuse to acknowledge the power of the beat. Faith is in the power of the beat and not in the drummer.

An influential beat can manifest itself in as many forms as there are ways to express it. We have experienced this in our recent history in the call for civil rights for all Americans as M.L. King led 250,000 supporters in his march to Washington, Mahatma Gandhi’s steadfast prayer and fasting for support for nonviolent means to gain India’s independence, and Nelson Mandela’s 27-year prison term as punishment for his opposition to apartheid in South Africa. These men were all people “of faith”, but was it a faith in a God or a faith in an ideal? Perhaps a strong belief in a Divine Being helped each man gain inner strength and courage, but surely they understood that death would or could be a part of their journey. After death, what or who would lead the fight for justice, freedom, and equality? Given this, should we then emulate the person, the drummer, as we do on ML King Day each year, or do we instead connect with the same beat that motivated these men to support virtuous ideals through nonviolent means? Is it our own lack of faith in oneself to help change attitudes and practices of bigotry, hatred and injustice that dominate the world society or do we lack trust and confidence in the importance of the ideal? Perhaps this is why institutions such as the religious or civic organizations loose the faith of the masses. It stops listening to the beat of the ideal or principle and lends an ear to the person leading the parade.

The following quote is what has guided the faith and hope of an aging baby boomer who continues to believe in the promise of a better life for all:" Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.",
Robert Francis Kennedy.

Can we as individuals ever be faithful to the quiet beat that leads the march for justice and equality, or do we follow the boisterous pied piper of apathy because he carries a seductive, empty tune?