Many of you

might argue that journalism offers no clear reality. That may be true.

The view afforded us through the eyes of journalists all over the world

may be seen through various shades of tinted glass, but seldom is that

hue pink.

So, last Sunday,

March 30, as I read about the recent behavior/action of Delta management,

there were no rose-colored glasses within reach. I caught a glimpse of

uncomfortable, multicolored reality.

Reportedly,

Delta paid out more than $17 million to 60 executives in 2002, a year

that saw the airline lose $1.3 billion and cut 16,000 jobs. The CEO got

the biggest bonus, $1.4 million. He and other top executives had gotten

no bonuses in 2001, and Leo Mullin has cut his salary 10 percent for this

year.

Delta also

reported it spent $25.5 million to set up trusts to protect the pensions

of 33 executives if the airline sought bankruptcy protection.

I turned away

from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article several times, not wanting

to know all I was learning.

The article

was clearly exposing a management team at Delta who apparently had chosen

last year, behind closed doors, to find a way/s to look out for themselves

first and foremost some might say even before they looked out for the

company with whose management they were entrusted.

Strangely,

as I read the article, I recalled several scripture passages. First came

a reminder of how all things done in secret eventually come to light.

Light and darkness.

Scary thought, isn't it? To think (know) that all we do in secret, under

the cover of darkness, or behind closed doors, could, might (will) eventually

come to light.

So, as I understand

it from the AJC piece written by Russell Grantham, after 9/11, Delta management

immediately began to look for ways to protect their personal pensions/retirement

in the event of airline failure across the board.

Now, I'm trying

real hard here to put myself in the shoes of those at Delta who met in

their secret places to discuss how to insulate themselves. I figure fear

played a major role in the evolution of such a meeting. That's almost

never a good thing.

I've been told

that fear, controlled fear, can be good for us to an extent. The nation

was beyond controlled fear during that period of time immediately following

9/11. We were shocked and terrorized.

Enron was a

word that was scaring some of us almost as much as Al Qaeda. Would we

fall from within or without? It was/is a question that has been posed

As I read the

AJC article in which Delta CEO Mullin came out looking like anything but

the salvation of the airline industry, I recalled the day I first met

him. It was a brief encounter at a funeral. We spoke for only a few minutes.

I had a strong first impression.

Since then,

I've heard him speak several times as a representative of the airline

industry and as CEO of Delta, a leading employer in the state of Georgia.

Delta ranks among the top world airlines. It is a major player in the

economy of metro Atlanta where a number of newspapers that print my column

are circulated.

As I read about

the actions of this man and fought the urge to think that he and his management

team had put Delta's survival in even more jeopardy by actions designed

to save themselves first, I made a decision.

I decided to

pray, rather than judge. As I prayed, a strange array of scripture passages

rushed in on my mind and heart like a cool and refreshing breeze.

First came

the words of Christ Himself as I dared to think about passing judgment:

"He who is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone ..."

Then came "...

and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free ..."

Soon I was

drawn to chapters 24 and 25 of Proverbs, which are far too lengthy to

quote here.

In the end,

it was not scripture that put the exclamation point at the end of my thoughts.

I recalled that shock and terror can bring out the best and worst in an

individual, often at the same time. Then came the reminder that the worst

thing that happens to a person can turn out to be the best thing if that

person does not let it get the best of him.

My money is

on Mullin. I'm staying with my first impression. I believe he is a man

of character, compassion, valuable experience and wisdom. Not above fear

and even failure, and certainly not above redemption.

I'm banking

on Leo's survival and the survival of the airline I hope he can and will

choose to have the courage to lead wisely and well in the coming months

and years.

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