Across That Bridge

Lessons on freedom and meditations on change, this is how the late Congressman and Civil Rights Activist John Lewis describes “Across That Bridge.” In the book, we are taken on a journey through time and space to learn about human virtues like faith, patience, peace, and love.

From the beginning, John Lewis reminds us that the truth does not change. Although, the truth can be obscured, strategically misinterpreted, and hidden from comprehension. During the Civil Rights Movement, the misconceptions were separation, inferiority, superiority, and the importance of superficial differences. The truth is that humans are not only equal but interrelated. Also, when we approach life in terms of duality instead of commonality, we will always have something to overcome. He cautions that the truth could require sacrifice, though. 

It’s important to point out that we are on a continuum of change. Although the Civil Rights Movement brought about important reforms, there are contributions that we can make to further the work of change. Studying the answers that worked in the past can help us find solutions to some of the challenges of our time. 

Having faith is another essential aspect discussed in “Across That Bridge.” John Lewis defines faith as being as sure of your dreams as you are of anything you know as fact. In his case, he had faith that there was supremacy in one truth that no law, tradition, military force, or material might could undermine the divine. He understood the risks of activism during his time but was willing to demonstrate that love had already overcome hate and the pages of America’s book had already been written. He was willing to put his faith into action. 

He says that in the most basic sense, our purpose is to be a light that shines and express our gifts so that others may see. We have infinite possibilities, and the beauty of creativity, love, oneness, and peace can only manifest through us. We have one Creator and therefore have the ability to define the world around us. What we focus our will on becomes our reality; we just have to remember to follow the path of light and co-align with the forces of the universe. With that in mind, fear and separation are eradicated. 

This was such a great book about unity and redeeming the soul of the nation. I hope you are inspired to check it out. And as always, thank you for reading the blog!