Robert Kennedy in South Africa, in inner city U.S. neighborhoods, interacting with imperiled Civil Rights leaders, contemplating his brother’s murder:  these confrontations made him feel the broken bones of humanity – and made it imperative to him that those bones be made whole.

His father’s prosperity created his family’s Camelot of beautiful homes, parties, glamorous friends, and Robert Kennedy had the option of hiding there from his work, hiding from his fierce challenge to the cruel forces of the status quo, but he had seen too much to stop.

Today we have so many places to hide; cozy, numbed, entertained places.  Not as glamorous as the Kennedys’ Cape Cod estate, but they are certainly cozy enough to forget about the Ricky Taggarts of the world (the boy RFK is speaking with in the photo here).  We can check our emails and webpages on our phone and ignore a mean comment to a child or colleague; ignore a failing school, agency or community.  Our coziness has allowed the richest 10 percent of Americans to receive “an unconscionable 100 percent of the average income growth in the years 2000 to 2007″ (Herbert 2011).  Kennedy burst out of the comfort he was raised in, amassed more power for the office of U.S. Attorney General than the position had ever had, and was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination to the presidency in 1968.

Seeing the bones:  RFK saw the bones of the greatest human struggles of his day and rose to their challenge.  He saw the broken bones, and the unbroken.  He learned the stories of the unbroken Civil Rights leaders, the unbroken anti-apartheid activists.  He learned stories of passion and resistance and rose with them.  Lesson:  Immerse yourself in those stories; drink them like water.  The varieties of personal struggle and options for creative success are infinite.

His parents have been harshly criticized by many biographers, but none of RFK’s sibings concurred in that criticism (Klein 2009), staunchly defending their parents, mentioning only their love and the good they did for their children.  The family and larger community of friends that their parents had started were the other strength he had.  The youngest, Teddy, was brilliant in his long Senate career at crossing the aisle and building coalitions, easing tempers, and finding common purpose.  Robert had a web of highly competent people that he could count on, not to take a bullet for him, but to stand with him, hear him out, believe in him.  Lesson:  Get that web for yourself, always there to catch you, to remind you that you matter.

As we bring kindness and common sense to our communities, families and workplaces, the people that stand with us will determine much of the quality of our work and our endurance.  Our contemporary, addictive entertainment and gadgetry make it tricky at times to maintain the web of strong relationships that will support our best work.  Tricky sometimes, but possible; let the IBC help you strategize a network of mentors, confidants and colleagues.

The superb poet Langston Hughes traveled the world, found the best music in a country and let it wash over him; in a club, concert hall, bar etc; as he created his matchless body of literary work.  RFK traveled to South Africa, upon the invitation of a student group.  The culture, the struggle, the need flowed through him and gave him the determination to become the front-running Democratic Presidential candidate.  Yes he was killed by essentially the forces that want us all quiet and accepting the cruelties of the status quo, but he lived much of his life all out, scared and feeling inadequate, pushing himself to the limit.  Lesson:  Move bodily to where you will be lifted; to beautiful nature, music, art, people, to your most cherished friends.  I had a crushing day recently and took my daughter to Chicago’s Art Institute.  If they could create those miracles on the walls surely anything is possible.

Herbert, B. (2011) “Losing Our Way” March 25, NYT

Klein E. (2009) Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died. Crown Publishing Group