Solidarity Sunday: If We Talk the Talk...
My favorite poem has always been "If" by Rudyard Kipling. It's one I return to when the bullets are flying and all the world around me is in chaos. It's a reminder of what it means to lead, to serve, and to stand firm in the values that matter most; as a father, as a husband, as a business owner, as a union member.
I read it again this morning, and one line struck me differently than before:
"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…"
That single line captures the challenge of leadership in our movement. It speaks to patience, integrity, and steadiness that defines the difference between talking about leadership and actually living it.
It's a poem about doing the hard things that test us. It says, in essence, if you can rise above anger, pride, and fear, you'll earn something lasting and true.
But the opposite is also true.
If we talk about trust, but act as if no one can be trusted, we lose it.
If we speak of brotherhood and sisterhood, but demean others in how we communicate, we betray that bond.
If we claim loyalty, but work behind people's backs, we destroy it.
If we demand accountability, but avoid hard conversations, we weaken it.
And if we promise transparency, but operate in secrecy, we erode it.
It's easy to speak of unity, respect, and integrity, but it's our daily actions that prove whether we mean it. The credibility to lead doesn't come from a title or position; it comes from consistency between what we say and what we do.
The poem ends with this powerful line:
"…Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, and which is more, you'll be a Man, my son!"
For us, that means this: if we can hold steady when it's hard, keep faith when it's tempting to doubt, and treat people the way we hope to be treated, then we'll not only earn respect, we'll build a union worth following.
That's what true leadership looks like.
That's what solidarity sounds like.