“What do Unitarian Universalists believe?” I imagine many UUs
have been asked this question at some point in their lives. And I’m sure I’m
not the only one that has experienced an internal flutter of panic or mental scramble
in searching for the best four-sentence description that almost always works in
the words “the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” A couple of years
ago, I had the opportunity to meet Rev. Peter Morales while attending a
conference in Boston, and he gave those of us who were there that weekend a
catchy response to that dread-inducing question. His memorable answer? “What we
love is more important than what we believe.”
But wait, you might say, doesn’t that lead to the inevitable
follow-up question of “Ok, well what do you love?” Absolutely. But I find that question
to be more exciting (and informative) to answer than the original one. As
Unitarian Universalists, we love whatever is in need of love. Such a response may
seem overly simplified or trite at first, but its full complexity is realized
when we look at what we mean by “love.” To borrow from Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., love in our tradition is not limited to “a sentimental or affectionate
sense.” Love is a powerful force that goes beyond acceptance or admiration, to
a proactive effort to cultivate necessary understanding and change. Love is the
strength to stay in relationship with people whose words or deeds are laced
with ignorance, hatred, or pain, because doing so is the only way to reignite
their spark of inherent good. Love is not simply the willingness to say yes to
the oppressed; it is the ability to say yes to the oppressor...by saying no.* Despite
initial impressions, that is not an impossible contradiction. When we say “no” we are not
rejecting the person. We are rejecting the actions or words that have caused
pain and humiliation; we are rejecting the violation of their goodness that prevents them from understanding their connection to others. Our
“no” is a “yes” because it acknowledges the capacity, and necessity, for change.
Our “no” is a “yes” because it demonstrates our refusal to settle for anything
less than unity, and our commitment to ignite their spark of good. So it stands
that when we love whatever is need of love, we endeavor to do what must be done
to save our world from the destructive and divisive attitudes that breed fear,
discrimination, inequality, and violence.
It is this love that drives our commitment to social
justice, not only by coming to the aid of those who are most aggrieved by
injustice, but by challenging those who are responsible for creating it. In the
words of Rev. Richard Gilbert, we “live under a prophetic imperative to act in
love for justice,” and “need to be equally skilled in comforting the afflicted
and afflicting the comfortable.” Our love of whatever is in need of love calls
us to engage in social action that moves beyond working within the current
structures and pushes to create systemic change.
It may be a difficult and seemingly endless task to advocate for institutional transformation,
but that is precisely why such work is where our love is needed the most. Social
action shifts us away from treating the effects of injustice and towards
removing its root causes. It is an effort to challenge the oppressive systems
that have preserved freedom for the few by denying the rights of the many. It
is a focus on policy reforms and attitudinal change that will bring an end to
the inexcusable deprivation in our culture of abundance. It is a movement to
intentionally transform our social mindset and political practices to bring an
end to institutionalized “otherizing” and honor the rights of all. That is
where the strength to stay in relationship, the “yes” behind our “no” will have
the greatest impact. Social action is the recognition of our power to bring
genuine transformation at a universal level, to love what needs love the most.
No comments:
Post a Comment