NOW.
NOW. TODAY WE HONOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SOME WITH REFLECTION. SOME PEOPLE MAY DO
ACTS OF SERVICE BUT AS SENIOR
PASTOR OF THE ROCK CHURCH MILES
MCPHERSON, HE'S SHARING ANOTHER
OPTION. IT'S A THIRD OPTION.
IT'S AN OPTION THAT GOES BEYOND
REMEMBRANCE AND WORKS FOR
CHANGE. SO HE'S JOINING US THIS
MORNING. GOOD MORNING TO YOU,
PASTOR. HOW ARE YOU DOING
TODAY? IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE
YOU. GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON TODAY
ESPECIALLY SO LET'S TALK ABOUT
THIS. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WANT TO
REMEMBER DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING
JUNIOR AND IT'S MORE THAN, YOU
KNOW, POSTING HIS QUOTES ON
INSTAGRAM. I'VE SEEN THAT A LOT
THIS MORNING. BUT WHAT CAN WE
ALL DO TO ACTUALLY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE? YOU KNOW, ONE OF
HIS FAMOUS QUOTES WAS THE MOST
PRESSING QUESTION WE ALL HAVE
TO ASK IS WHAT WE DO FOR
OTHERS. AND I REMEMBER WHEN I
WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD HE WAS
KILLED AND I REMEMBER FEELING.
WHAT CAN WE DO? AND SO FAST
FORWARD HERE 50 SOME YEARS
LATER I WROTE A BOOK CALLED THE
THIRD OPTION AND THE FIRST TWO
OPTIONS ARE US VERSUS THEM
DIVIDE THE CULTURE THAT WE LIVE
IN EVERYDAY FEELS LIKE THEY
HAVE TO BE ON ONE SIDE AGAINST
THE OTHER. AND THE THIRD OPTION
IS THAT WE HONOR WHAT WE HAVE
IN COMMON. THIS BOOK IS
DESIGNED TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO
DO THAT. HOW CLASS PAST OUR
BLIND SPOTS CLASS PASSED
FORGIVENESS. AND THEN IN
ADDITION I DEVELOPED A
DIVERSITY TRAINING WHAT WE CALL
SIMILARITY TRAINING BECAUSE A
THIRD OPTION IS HONORING WHAT
WE HAVE IN COMMON. AND I
PROPOSE THAT WE WERE ALL MORE
SIMILAR THAN DIFFERENT. WE ALL
WANT TO HAVE OUR OPINIONS
HEARD. WE ALL WANT TO LIVE IN
SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS. WE ALL WANT
TO HAVE FAMILY LOVE AND AND
PURSUE OUR GOALS. SO THIS
SIMILARITY TRAININGS FOR
SCHOOLS AND FOR CHURCHES FOR
CORPORATE WORLD WE HAVE A
SECULAR AND FAITH BASED VERSION
AND YOU GO TO THE THIRD OPTION
TRAINING THAT COME TO GETTING
INFORMATION WE PILOTED WITH THE
D.A. OFFICE HERE IN SAN DIEGO A
COUPLE OF YEARS AGO NOW WE'VE
BEEN DEVELOPING IT. AND SO
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A K 8
CURRICULUM AS WELL. AND YOU
KNOW, TO HEAR THAT YOU WERE
EIGHT YEARS THAT THE TIME OF
DR. KING'S ASSASSINATION I MEAN
OBVIOUSLY HE IMPACTED YOUR LIFE
IN SO MANY WAYS. CAN YOU TALK
ABOUT THAT? I MEAN WE'VE SEEN,
YOU KNOW, SOME CHANGE OBVIOUSLY
SINCE THEN. BUT THERE'S MORE
WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
RIGHT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, MY
FAMILY IS VERY DIVERSE. I AM
BLACK WHITE CHINESE IN MY
FAMILY. I GREW UP IN A BLACK
NEIGHBORHOOD, WENT TO SCHOOL IN
A WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD THE FIRST
EIGHT YEARS OF MY LIFE. SO I
LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF TENSION
ALL GROWN UP AND I REMEMBER
THINKING HE WAS GOING TO HELP
US AND THEN THEY KILL THEM,
KILL ME. AND THERE'S BEEN NO
ONE AT ME ALL MY LIFE BECAUSE
ALL THE FOOTBALL TEAMS I PLAYED
ON A DIVERSE AND WE GOT ALONG
AND FOUGHT THE SAME BATTLE TO
WIN THE GAMES AND YET THE WORLD
WAS DIVIDED SO STARTED THE
CHURCH IN 2000 AND AGAIN THAT
WAS BURNING IN MY HEART. HOW
KIND OF HELP SOMEBODY HOW CAN I
HELP SOMEBODY IN A FEW YEARS
AGO WHEN I WROTE THE BOOK? I
FEEL LIKE THAT IS PROBABLY THE
BIGGEST NERVE IN OUR COUNTRY.
THE BIGGEST STAIN ON OUR
COUNTRY IS THE DIVISION THAT WE
HAVE. AND SO MY PASSION IS TO
BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
ESPECIALLY PEOPLE THAT ARE
STRANGE THE FURTHEST THEY CAN
BE A STRANGE GENERATE
GENERATIONALLY. SO I BELIEVE
THE THIRD OPTION OFFERS THAT
FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND IT
SEEMS LIKE OBVIOUSLY RIGHT NOW
OUR CITY, OUR COUNTRY THERE IS
A LOT OF DIVISION. PEOPLE MAY
NOT BE WILLING TO UNDERSTAND
EACH OTHER TO REALIZE WHY
THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT
EMOTIONS AND WHERE THEY'RE ALL
COMING FROM. WHAT CAN WE ALL DO
TO REALLY JUST YOU KNOW? I
THINK THE CORE OF ALL OF US
WE'RE GOOD PEOPLE. SO HOW DO WE
SHOW THAT? HOW DO WE COME
TOGETHER IN THAT WAY? WELL, DID
THE BOOK RIGHT AND REALLY LEARN
ABOUT HOW WE CAN FOCUS
SIMILARITIES? THERE WAS A IF WE
WOULD ALL REALIZE THAT WE ALL
WANT THE SAME THING WE ALL WANT
TO HAVE A FAMILY LOVING FAMILY.
WE ALL WANT TO PURSUE OUR
GOALS. WE ALL WANT TO BE HEARD.
WE ALL WANT TO LIVE SAFE
NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE ALL OF OUR
FOOD. AND IF WE WOULD FOCUS ON
THAT I WAS IN A PRISON WAS
TALKING AND I END UP HAVING A
CONVERSATION OR A WHITE
SUPREMACIST. AND WE WERE LIKE
TWO INCHES FROM EACH OTHER'S
FACE NOT YELLING, JUST HAVING A
CONVERSATION. AND WE DIDN'T
REALIZE AT THE TIME THIS IDEA
THAT WE WERE NINETY NINE POINT
FIVE PERCENT GENETICALLY
IDENTICAL AND WE WANTED MOST OF
THE THINGS WE PROBABLY WANTED
WERE THE SAME. HE JUST LOOKED
AT ME INFERIOR BECAUSE OF MY
COLOR. BUT ALL THE JUST SO MANY
OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN
COMMON SO WE CAN APPROACH
PEOPLE WITH FOCUSING ON WHAT WE
HAVE IN COMMON, WHAT WE SHARE
SIMILARITIES THEN WE CAN BUILD
ON THE THINGS THAT ARE
DIFFERENT BECAUSE THE
DIFFERENCES THAT WE HAVE
ACTUALLY VARIATIONS THAT THE
SAME THING VARIATIONS OF
CULTURE, VARIATIONS OF
EXPERIENCE, VARIATIONS OF
FAMILY AND THEY CAN ACTUALLY
ENHANCE OUR LIFE IF WE GIVE
THEM A CHANCE. AND YOU ARE SUCH
A WELL KNOWN PERSON HERE IN SAN
DIEGO, OF COURSE AS A FORMER
SAN DIEGO CHARGER AND THEN THE
PASTOR AT THE ROCK CHURCH. WHAT
ARE YOU SEEING IN OUR
COMMUNITY? TELL US. YOU KNOW.
ARE YOU SEEING A LOT OF THIS
DIVISIVENESS? I MEAN ARE YOU
HEARING ABOUT IT AT CHURCH?
WHAT ARE PEOPLE COMING TO YOU
WITH? YOU KNOW, I SPOKE WITH
GEORGE YESTERDAY AND I SAID
THERE'S A VERY STRONG SPIRIT OF
DIVISION. I MEAN IN CHARGE
OUTSIDE THE CHURCH AND IT IS
WHEN I SAY SCARY, IT'S DEEP. IT
IS INTENSE. NOW I WAS TELLING
PEOPLE LOOK, WHEN YOU ARE MORE
FOCUSED ON THE VISION VERSUS
DURING THE YEAR AND IDOLATRY
YOU ARE YOU'RE IDOLIZING
WHATEVER YOUR SIDE IS. REMEMBER
WE LIVE IN THE US VERSUS THEM
CULTURE AND I SUPPOSE THAT
MEANS MY ARGUMENT IS BETTER
THAN YOURS. I WHEN YOU HAVE TO
LOSE. AND THE THIRD OPTION IS
ALL ABOUT HOW CAN WE BOTH WIN?
BUT WE HAVE TO COME TO THE
TABLE REALIZING WE ALL HAVE
BLIND SPOTS AS THINGS WE DON'T
KNOW WE DON'T KNOW. IF WE CAN
REALIZE THAT WE'RE ALL HUMAN,
WE ALL HAVE EQUAL HUMANITY. AND
PART HUMANITY IS GETTING ALONG
AND HAVE A RELATIONSHIP AND WE
CAN FOCUS ON THAT FOR
OURSELVES. PLAYING GOLF
RECENTLY AND I WAS IN THE
TOURNAMENT SO WE GOT PAIRED
WITH PEOPLE WE DIDN'T KNOW AND
A WHITE COUPLE ROLLED UP AND
THEY WERE OUR IN OUR GROUP. AND
THE GUY WAS FROM ORANGE COUNTY
AND THE ONE WAS FROM NEW YORK.
AND AS SOON AS SHE SAID SHE WAS
FROM NEW I'M FROM NEW YORK.
THAT COMMONALITY BOUT MADE US
BOUND TOGETHER. AND IT WASN'T
THAT SHE WAS WHITE. I WAS AND
WASN'T THAT SHE WAS A WOMAN. I
WASN'T. IT WAS A FACT THAT WE
WERE BOTH FROM NEW YORK AND
THAT'S WHAT BROUGHT US
TOGETHER. AND THAT COMMONALITY
IS WHAT WE BUILT OUR RELATIONS
BOTH FOR THE NEXT FIVE HOURS
THAT WE PLAY GOLF IF WE CAN
MEET PEOPLE INSTEAD OF FOCUSING
ON WHAT WE DIFFERENT. THEN THEY
GO POLITICS. REPUBLICAN,
DEMOCRAT IF WE COULD FOCUS ON
THE FACT THAT YOU'RE BOTH
HUMAN, YOU BOTH HAVE FAMILIES,
YOU BOTH YOU BOTH WANT TO HAVE
A GOOD CAREER AND A GOOD LIFE
AND THEN RETIRE AND FOCUS AND
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP ON THAT
AND THEN YOU CAN EXPOUND ON
OTHER THINGS. BUT IF WE DON'T
HAVE A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON
THINGS, WE HAVE A COMMON OUR
COUNTRY IS GOING TO
DISINTEGRATE. ALL RIGHT, PASTOR
MILES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH ON
THIS MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR
DAY. SO IMPORTANT TO HEAR YOUR
MESSAGE. WE APPRECIATE YOU
BEING ON THIS MORNING. GOD
BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. ALWAYS MAKES ME FEEL
INSPIRED THAT THAT'S OUR STORY
WE COULD ALL FOCUS ON
COMMONALITIES, RIGHT? I MEAN
THAT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT. IT
GOES SUCH A LONG WAY IN OUR
SOCIETY. AND ISN'T THAT JUST
THE BUILDING? THERE WAS A LADY
FROM NEW YORK, NEW YORK. AND