Empire Unleashed.
The day was already muggy, but still unspent, at five in the morning. With half-open eyes I see two people dressed in black standing high up on the Empire State Building, fastening a banner.
The banner reads: «When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.»
The old hippie in me is wide awake. I stare at the image, read the words, and I stand there gobsmacked. «Two Russians climb the Empire State Building and present the power of love.»
That was my first thought. But the second remembered Jimi Hendrix. The quote is commonly pinned to the greatest guitarist in rock. Then history pipes up and says: No, the similarly worded original comes from former British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. But that’s not the point here. What matters more is the mighty symbolism of this daring act. The timing, the place, the quote — none of it could have been chosen better.
Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus hid inside the Empire State overnight. The next day they climbed to the very highest point of the Empire State Building, unfurled the banner, and were filmed from all sides by helicopters.
As if that weren’t enough: Ivan drops to one knee. Way up there. A proposal.
Holy Macaroni!
My morning was rescued. I spent the rest of the day smiling.
Two people showing the world what ought to matter fundamentally: love. Peace. Not power. Not greed. Not dominion.
Then I read the reports. The mood shifted. Everyone saw something different. Very few saw the banner.
Almost every headline revolves around love as spectacle, or the spectacle of love. The harder-edged outlets zeroed in on the operational logistics: the couple had secretly spent the night inside the building and apparently forced a door to reach the antenna. Police speak of prior surveillance — «they didn’t just stumble across this hatch.» Then comes the charge sheet: breaking and entering, endangerment, property damage, possession of burglary tools, trespassing.
And the banner? A footnote. The peace message appears as a subordinate clause in most reports. Hold on — that’s not quite right either. The banner was hijacked. Any number of companies swapped out the original quote for their own advertising slogan.
Well, would you look at that. How cheap a trick, to out yourself as a communications pirate.
My conclusion? When courage and creativity manage to come up for air again, hope laces up its running shoes. The alarm clock for humanity responds to powerful symbols. Angela and Ivan knew how to deploy them.
That is love, scaled to the top. What an Empire!
Creator: ABC Affiliate WABC | Credit: via REUTERS | Copyright: ADAM GRAY