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I and Thou or Social Power Dynamics?

  Martin Buber, the noted Jewish philosopher, wrote a book titled “I and Thou” emphasizing that the most significant relationship between people happens when two people see and recognize the sacred within each other. In an I-Thou relationship, the people involved do not see each other as any kind of means, but rather each person sees the other as an end in themselves. The other person becomes a reserve of infinite value. We acknowledge the centrality of this I-Thou relationship in our first principle, which recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of all persons. In Unitarian Universalism, we elevate the I-Thou relationship as much as possible in our worship practices and our social relations. We seek to give everyone a voice, not just a vote. We recognize the power of the individual conscience, that sometimes an individual can see clearly what a society cannot. In our small group ministries, we practice deep listening so that each one of the participants can come to recognize the
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Universalism and Color Translucency

 I believe in universalism. That is, I believe what connects us as human beings is more important than what divides us. The inherent worth and dignity of all persons. That all persons are entitled to dignity and respect. It's not a new belief. It's not an easy belief. Conceptually it's quite simple. And yet I don't think it needs revision. I don't think it needs an asterisk. I think universalism is a concept that can endure across time and across space. The love that I feel is not different than the love you feel. Nor is the pain or the suffering or the yearning. Nor is my flawed nature. My mortal nature. My limited nature. We are different in so many particulars, and yet we share so much in common as human beings. Put it another way. I think our common humanity is more important than our hyphenated humanity. We are different races, genders, sexualities, ages, and capabilities but none of this should divide us irreconcilably. It is possible to connect across these d
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Acknowledgment of Racism in America and Lack of UU Racial Diversity

I acknowledge the sordid and devastating history of racism in the United States. This history includes not just the brutal enslavement of black people, but also racially exclusive and demeaning laws and policies against Asian Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and others. It is essential that all Americans understand this awful history and weigh with gravity the history of inhumanity in America’s past. Portions and perspectives on this dark history are still being uncovered and it is important that we all continue to hear these emerging voices.   I acknowledge that racism is a force still in effect in our society today, with significant harms. Social science and our own direct observation teaches us that racism still exists in institutions such as the criminal justice system, in education, and in employment. I acknowledge that racism exists not just as personal animus, but through policies and institutions that have been shown to negatively impact racial minorities. At the same ti
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The Idea of "White Supremacy Culture" is Offensive

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of history and cultures knows that all cultures have both oppressive and liberatory aspects. Historically, it was quite typical to conquer, kill, and enslave neighboring groups or nations - just ask the Aztecs or the Mongols. Historically, European and American culture are rife with oppressive aspects, but not particularly more so than any other culture. Part of the joy of being an Unitarian Universalist for me has been its openly syncretic approach to finding wisdom; that is, we seek great wisdom from all cultures, and at least historically have been able to borrow and build upon such wisdom without apology. In my own personal experience, I have gained wisdom from European, Asian, African, and Native American cultures, among others; as well as Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Pagan beliefs. To pursue truth and wisdom wherever you find it has historically been one of our great blessings. With new walls being erected about certain traditional bel
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Two Types of Community Conversations

When I think about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and how that might change, I think about two different ways of having conversations. If the first way, we start from the principle of universal human equality and human dignity. We start from the approach that the search for truth is grounded in love. This is based upon our current Seven Principles. Based upon these principles, all voices will be given equal weight and an equal chance to be heard. And those listening will endeavor to listen charitably, with an ear to acknowledging and empathizing with what each speaker says. Under such conditions the growth of mutual understanding is possible. While agreement will not always be reached, we can build community through this process of recognizing each other, including recognizing our very real differences. In the second way, we start from the assumption that all verbal interactions should be seen through the lens of unequal power. People of color, women, and LGBTQ people hav
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Why I Think the Presidential Election was Free and Fair

I want to start writing about politics again. Certainly, I do not consider myself an expert on political matters. But I see a deep and yawning need for respectful dialogue across the political divide. So much political discourse these days is about score-keeping, or rallying the troops, speaking within an existing political circle to bolster anger and outrage at the other side. I cannot pretend that I am either non-partisan or unbiased. I am a strong progressive and I have been that way as long as I can remember. However, I genuinely want to understand people with alternative points of view better. I genuinely believe that I do not know all of the relevant information and I am open to having my point of view change. I genuinely believe that even if we disagree passionately, we can find other areas of agreement for our mutual benefit and protection. I believe that people can be respectful and honest to each other even when they disagree. What I want to address in this essay are the reas
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What is your default question?

I think most of us have a default question that we ask whenever there is a down moment, a slow moment, in our lives. This default question has great power over our happiness and well being. For many of us, the default question is "what do I want now?" The minute the business subsides, we ask ourselves, what do I want now? As philosophers over the centuries have observed, directing ourselves by the wants of the moment is almost certainly a formula for unhappiness. We are likely to be frequently frustrated. The open palm of desire knows no bounds, wanting is a bottomless pursuit. It is quite likely that a yawning gap will open between what we want and what the world is capable of providing. For myself, this question has often been "what should I be doing right now?" It turns out that this is also a problematic question. Just as wants are bottomless, so are achievements, and so are the problems of the world. If we are continually directed towards newly emerging nee
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