Silence opens the way. Then we plant our prayers, nursing them with the sacred waters of fear and hope. I fear for lives brushing the threshold of death. I hope for families reunited with those they love - if not in body, in holy memory.
I miss the voice, and soul, of our faith. UUA President Peter Morales did issue a statement, calling citizens to help "create a culture where violence has no place." But I think Unitarian Universalism has something deeper to add:
1) The alleged shooter may not be like us, but we are capable of being like him. Our theology teaches that we are all of One Source, after all, and as such we share the human proclivity to fear, anger and violence. We would do well to look inward and take inventory.
2) Morality trumps causality. Whether or not the alleged shooter was directly influenced by extremist broadcasting is of secondary importance. We must insist, above all, that this type of discourse is morally wrong. And that we are implicit in its consumption, whether through Fox News or MSNBC. Our theology counsels that the human story is shared, fated all to One Destination. We would do well to participate in a political dialogue that reflects our salvation.
3) Guns are unity-cleaving tools. Our faith weaves us out of unity and delivers us back into unity. To take a life is to violently unravel a thread, defacing the underlying fabric. We would do well to advocate for both laws and behavior that promote and protect this inherent unity.
How does your Unitarian Universalist faith call you to respond?
Please: continue the conversation.
I first felt sadness; another act of violence against others; another group of victims. Then I felt anger, against all those who have attempted to make political gain, or to cause political harm, out of this. I felt disgust at the media for their role in sensationalizing this. I can't fix any of this, of course. The only way I can think of responding is to be kind to the people around me, and to not watch the news.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place to start responding: relationship.
ReplyDeleteMy UU faith calls on me to speak positively, and to spread hope and faith in a brighter tomorrow. It inspires me to endure the acrimonious fray and the din of partisan politics. I'm not dropping out, but hanging in. It's admittedly not easy when events as horrible as the one in Tucson occur.
ReplyDelete