When the De Niro character joins the order, the deal is that he has to commit himself to serve God and all God's people. He is asked to give himself in service. Total commitment to the community. When he accepts, the Irons character embraces him and says "Welcome home my brother". De Niro collapses into Irons arms - he has come home indeed. Now his life is aligned to its mission.
For most of us, life is humdrum, mundane and often frustrating. Many of us are exhausted by the struggles that seem to go nowhere but more bureaucratic mud. We too want our life to mean something true and noble.
Being exhausted we have no energy for projects that seem hard and complex but have no call on our heart and on our need for meaning. This is why all our talk so far about reforming public radio has stalled. Back end projects, telling our colleagues what to do - all are burdens.
But what if we centered all out work in a mission that spoke to our hearts?
So what is the Mission. I don't think that it has to be cleverly written out. I think that it only needs to be asked for.
So last night I heard it. Mark spoke about his desire that his precious daughter grow up in a country where she would experience a true democracy and freedom. Jon spoke of he and his wife's commitment to a free society and how he found its expression in Public radio. Marita spoke of her desire to give her people a voice.
Last week I heard Doc, David, Jeff, Zadi, Jay, Euan offer the very best thinking for free as part of as Jeff calls it "God's Work" This is what is longing to join the real community of Public Media. They know what the mission is and do not need a Mission Statement.
So what if instead of hiring a consultant like me to write a nifty sentence, we did something extraordinary. We know what the mission is. So why don't we publicly go out to the American people and ask them a question?
Why don't we ask them "How can we serve you best in the upcoming election?" "Do you want to go to war in Iran? If not what do you want to say about this?"
Why don't we put the mission first?
Why don't we ask them how we can restore their voice in the political process. Why don't we ask them how we can give people back hope that they can trust the process? Why cant we ask them how we can help them restore that jewel of American Democracy - the power of the community to decide and to set the agenda?
I am here. I cannot let this go because I think that we stand at a moment of great choice. What we choose now in public radio will give us a chance of a better world or condemn us. It is much bigger than if Public radio survives. It is can we restore the Republic?
If America loses the republic and becomes the Empire - then I lose hope for all the world. If the Empire wins then the great challenges that face the world today - the environment, poverty and terror, our children's future all will be settled by people whose agenda is to serve only their ego and their narrow interest.
I am surely not alone. I sense a great hunger for Americans to find their voice and to find the power of their community again.
I know. I am certain. I am convinced that if we set up a project to serve the Republic in 2008 - that all that we need to know to reform and to renew Public media will be an outcome as well. Lets plan for D day and allow that to drive how we do the logistics. Let's not plan to reform radio - lets plan to serve America.
My bet is that all the barriers for cooperation will go away, if we are united in this great cause. Even Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill could work together for as long as the crusade was clear.
Later today Dave Winer will pick this up. What do you think?
This is a cause that is powerful enough to unite men and women across most of the political spectrum.
