sandy

Friends of Montview,


One of my favorite spiritual practices is people watching. Wherever I am, noticing those around me reminds me of two things. First, the futility of trying to overlay some standard of good and bad or included and excluded or beautiful and not upon the infinite variety we represent. And secondly, the persistence with which we humans have tried to do just that. 


Humankind has spent much time trying to organize its numbers into groups and hierarchies. We have
spent much time trying to create a pattern and force ourselves into it. And throughout time, we have succeeded only in causing great harm and excruciating frustration and pain along the lines we have worked so hard to draw. Maybe our desperate need to define and to structure our masses follows our success in using our intellect to solve many mysteries and make many advancements. But, when we apply these same abilities to each other, the price is so great. The lines we draw logically and methodically just do not hold. Our definitions, our categories and divisions are flawed, temporary and destructive. Nothing is solved and nothing we truly want is advanced.

Is it time to stop? As Bono sings in Rise Above, "Has your heart had enough?" Is it time to stop pretending that judgment has a rightful place. Is it time to join arms and hearts figuratively and actually in our fragile and vulnerable humanness and realize that the most important questions that are ours to answer in these precious and passing lives are answered not by judging anyone, but by sharing hope, respect, appreciation, wonder and kindness with everyone.

Maybe this is the year. Maybe this is the season.

Maybe this is our time to belong to each other around this neighborhood, around this country, around this world and back again. Maybe this is our time to watch each passing parade of people with smiles and grace and goodwill and join with them in God's name. Shall we? Together?

Sandy
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