“Come to the edge… He pushed them…and they flew”. These words by the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire remind us that we do have a choice when at a precipice. A precipice, defined by Merriam Webster, is “a point where danger, trouble, or difficulty begins.” It is within the tension of those life moments, when we are at the edge, that we truly grow and discover again what it means to be a fragile and a mortal human being.
Our country is at one of those points as it wrestles to create an identity that is more open, inclusive and anti-racist. The end result will be good although the process is ugly right now. The political mayhem, name-calling and racially-charged language playing out on television over who will replace Barack Obama is a real-life reality show that we shake our heads at. It’s been disgraceful, rude, funny, but totally childish. I said as much in my facebook video this week:
There is certainly backlash after the election of the first black president of the United States in 2008. Obama’s power has seemingly empowered and scratched to surface all kinds of nasty and evil thoughts from some folk in our society. Overt and covert racism is rearing its ugly head in the election process, over police brutality, and through the BLM movement.
This stirring is necessary to move our nation forward. We have to get this stuff up and out of us. It is a dis-ease that must and will be cured over time — NOT by sweeping race and class and economic disparity’s under the table but rather by having discussions and hard uncomfortable conversations and actions. As Rev. Fred said Sunday, “The times they are a-changin.” Month’s ago I said as much in another video posted on facebook. It went mini-viral!!
The circle of privilege is expanding and this is good for us all. Why? Because we learn more from diversity, we experience more and we grow more spiritually as we learn from others. Political parties, churches, or any institution that does not embrace change and pluralism, will not continue to exist. We are at the precipice. Embrace this moment to grow your soul.
Truth is, every moment is a change moment. Everything is evolving / changing around us. Even when we think we are done learning we aren’t. Growth is what living organisms do. We are not human otherwise. We are cognitively growing and constantly creating a better version of who we are in our homes, school, community and church. This curiosity is our greatest gift and curse. It is a gift because as we experiment on new ideas and experiences, there is bliss in figuring out a better way of doing something; but on the other side, we never learn to be happy. We spend too much time critiquing and judging that we never enjoy the process.
Find a way to be happy. Enjoy the changes manifesting in your life. Expect the universe to “conspire in your favor.” Know that things, no matter how unsettled, will work out for you in the end. The journey ahead is unclear and that’s the exciting part! Embrace it today!
Love,
Rev. John