“Where you belong is where you choose to constantly choose to show up.”
Last weekend I attended a retreat at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL for those pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Social Justice degree. The guest presenter was Dr. Darcy Harris, a professor of Thanatology and an expert on non-death loss and grief. Her topic? “Navigating a World Full of Political Grief”.
Dr. Harris presented the concept of an “assumptive world view” or what we believe to be true about three aspects of life: How we feel safe, how the world works or should work, and how we view ourselves. As one might expect, the shattering of any aspect of our assumptive world view triggers a grief response.
These days, some of us may be grappling with some aspect of a shattered assumptive world view. Others may have had their beliefs about safety, themselves and the world confirmed. Many of us may be asking ourselves “How do we stay human in an inhumane world?” A few might be asking, “How do I survive in this world?”
Dr. Harris noted that times like these can lead to what she calls “structural apathy”. Structural apathy is caused by two sorts of life experiences: one the one hand, repeated exposure to situations of injustice, and on the other, a lack of awareness or exposure to injustice. She also noted that feeling loss more deeply can be galvanizing as we suddenly encounter unexpected ways of seeing the world. Grief can lead us to depression or to purpose.
Next Sunday, Sept. 7th, we at North Parish will engage in a “water communion” ritual of coming back together as a community, committing ourselves not only to grappling with being human but to doing so while calling on the resources of our faith and with many others by our side. This is a great joy! As our UUA President, the Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt has said, “Given everything our world faces today, having faith in love is no small thing.” Sharing our faith, in Love, is no small thing either. I look forward to doing so with all of you- in the midst of all our joys and sorrows- in the upcoming church year, the 380th year of the congregation.
Happy Labor Day weekend, and happy Immigrant City/Lawrence MA Bread and Roses pride!
Rev. Lee