I picked my son up from camp today and he told me that his stomach hurts. That is odd for him and so I asked why. He told me that as part of camp they went to visit the trash room at the convention center to look at all the debris and thank the workers. He said to me "And we had to go to the library and research mountain top removal. I am eleven and this is summer." I could make a comedy routine out of this and other UU misfires.
Sometimes we UU's worry so much about being good or right (think our Puritan heritage) that we forget about the human (or even child) experience. Not everyone wants to look at piles of trash. I don't. And even as I write I feel compassion for his teacher who is spending her week trying, I am sure, to create something meaningful for all these children. Most of us are just doing the best we can.
I was speaking with a colleague today who said to me that we UU's lack a "theology of paradox." We want to run towards "right" or "wrong" without reflecting, listening, pausing, and even oddly, living with difference. I like good boundaries and we need rules, but I lean into paradox because it is what I see all around me. I contributed to the carbon offset fund prior to my arrival here, and then I drove my car, spewing fossil fuel remains, all the way to Louisville.
In Love and Faith
Sharon
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