From Our Minister: How are you holding up?
How are you holding up? This particular sh@#*&ness in the world is unprecedented for those younger than 90. Masked men in unmarked cars disappearing people in broad daylight – in service of our government! It’s hard to wrap my head around. We’ve seen it in the news in other countries, but this is the United States. We have a constitution. We have the rule of law. Or we did.
How did people in other times respond? What is the best way for us to respond today? Anecdotally, close to fifty people from CCUU joined ‘No Kings’ rallies last Saturday – in Palatine, Arlington Heights, Chicago – maybe more that we didn’t hear about. Reports said the first ‘No Kings’ day had five million people. The second had seven million. People are saying no to the insanity. That’s something. We can do that.
Rev Karen joined a group from a Catholic church in praying at the Broadview Detention Center a few weeks back. That place where clergy has been shot with pepper spray guns and thrown to the ground. More of us will be joining her for a UU Flower Communion soon. That’s one way.
What else can we do in a world that appears alarmingly normal? If we’re not on a response team videoing the work of those masked men claiming to be ICE, if we have jobs and responsibilities, if we are elders, or have young children dependent upon us? I wrestle with this every day. What is mine to do in a world gone awry?
I write letters to the editor in local papers. I pass out ‘know your rights’ cards to people who might be targeted. I keep my phone handy in case I witness something going down.
I watch very little news media but read a few things a day. Every article breaks my heart. I pray every day. For me, prayer is most important. Prayer connects me with a wider reality. It reminds me of the ebb and flow of life. Of the cyclical and wave-like nature of the universe. Being alive is an exercise in figuring out how I fit and what I am responsible for. It’s about paying attention and figuring out how I might bring my best human response to what is in front of me. To do that, I have to conserve my energy and not let myself be carried away by fear. Fear is the weapon of choice for our government today. It is no one’s friend.
Maybe the best thing we can do is to hold onto our joy. Like the folks in Portland, OR demonstrating in frog costumes. Ridiculing the absurdity of an administration that has no clue of what is true and beautiful in life. We have to hold onto the truth, the beauty, the joy and use them as our shield and sword. Use love and laughter as those grounding points to hold on through the darkness – trusting that if we stick together, we can make it out again into the light.
Find a way to laugh today. Remember your connection to the earth. Do something which reminds you of the power of love. Be a bulwark – in a funny suit if need be. You are love. Don’t forget.
~ Rev. Pam
