The Black American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic and author, Angela Davis, once wrote, "You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. and you have to do it all the time."
Still I Am One
Musings of a Quakerly-inclined Unitarian
“I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”
Edward Everett Hale
Friday 26 July 2024
A Challenge for Us All
Friday 19 July 2024
Effective Anger
The Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, once wrote, "Anyone can get angry, that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, in the right measure, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is hard."
Friday 12 July 2024
The Power of Conviction
The 20th century American philosopher, Donald Davidson wrote something like, "Nothing can be considered a valid reason for a conviction except a conviction" (which is how my Google translator rendered the German).
Friday 5 July 2024
We are All Complex Beings
The 15th century Renaissance Cardinal, philosopher and scholar, Nikolaus von Kues (or Nicholas of Cusa) once wrote, "We recognise the greatness of a man by how many opposites he unites in himself."
This is not the same as Thomas Carlyle's Great Man Theory, which states that certain people are born with exceptional qualities, which enable them to become great leaders.
"Why is it that sometimes I feel that I want to do helpful things, but at other times I just want my own way?" a little Cherokee boy asked his grandfather one day.
"It's because there is a battle inside every human being," replied his grandfather. "The battle is between two wolves. One wolf is kind and gentle, full of peace, generosity, compassion, and trust. The other is wicked, full of anger, hatred, greed, selfishness, pride, and arrogance."
The young boy thought for a moment, and then he asked: "Which one will in the battle inside me?"
"The one you feed," replied his grandfather.
In other words, a person will better be able to achieve greatness, or at least, to become their best self, when they learn to nurture their own positive qualities, rather than allowing their negative ones to take hold and run their lives. I believe that all of us have negative attributes - we all have moments when we are tempted to listen to the "bad" wolf and take the self-serving route. It does take greatness to acknowledge that wolf's existence and to consciously make the decision to choose a better path.
Friday 28 June 2024
All of Us Are Responsible
It is General Election week. Next Thursday, the population of the United Kingdom will be voting in its next government.
I
believe very strongly that we have a moral responsibility to stand up and be
counted. The system of democracy which we have in this country may not be the
best, the most effective, but it is what we have, and the right of everyone
over the age of 18 to cast their vote is a precious one, which has only been in
place in comparatively recent times. I did a bit of digging, and discovered
that it was only in 1918, with the passing of the Representation of the People
Act, that all men over the age of 21 and all women over the age of 30, were
given the right to vote. That playing field was only levelled ten years later,
in 1928. So, less than one hundred years ago.
And yet, the voter turn-out in the 2019 General Election was only 67.3%... in other words, nearly one-third of the UK’s eligible voters decided not to bother. I find this baffling – why wouldn’t you? Even if you have little (or no) faith that your vote will make a difference (for example, if you live in a “safe seat” constituency long held by the party you disagree with); if you are disillusioned with the current system (and honestly, why wouldn’t you be?); or if you genuinely can’t make up your mind between rival candidates; you should Still Vote. Even if you choose to spoil your paper, as my father did once, scrawling “A plague on both your houses” across it, you are still exercising your democratic right to vote and that vote will still be counted.
Voting is about caring what happens in our society. We may “vote with our feet”, as the popular saying goes, by choosing any number of ways to make our opinions known. As Unitarian minister Cliff Reed once wrote, “This means, for some, active involvement in campaigns, marches, and demonstrations. It may mean lobbying politicians and making legislators aware of Unitarian concerns in particular areas of policy. It means using one’s democratic rights responsibly and purposefully for the common good. It means focusing on political and social issues in worship in order to explore their spiritual implications.”
What I’m saying is, that as conscious human beings, we are in a unique position to influence the world around us. In fact, we have a responsibility to do so – to strive to make a positive difference, so that we leave our society, our planet, in a better state than we found them. What we do, or don’t do, matters, at a fundamental level. It is in our power as human beings to answer the prayers of the struggling and grieving world – to feed the hungry, heal the sick, look after the marginalised, strike against oppression, care for our planet. Or not.
We Are Responsible.
And even if the vote on Thursday doesn’t go the way we hope, we are *still* responsible. It is no good if we simply shrug our shoulders at a policy we don’t agree with, saying “Well, I didn’t vote for them.” I believe that as responsible human beings, who care about the future of the Earth and its myriad inhabitants, we need to stand up and be counted. We need to be active, not passive. And I believe that is a spiritual position, as well as a political one.
We are all responsible for making up our
own minds about the social and ethical issues of the day. And the tools we have
to do this are our hearts, our minds, and our souls. We may discuss our
decisions with others, but ultimately, only we can decide, as individuals.
May we at least decide to exercise our democratic rights, and vote on Thursday. Because each of us is responsible for the outcome, one way or another.
Friday 21 June 2024
At Midsummer
I love this time of year - the long days, the blue skies, the sunny weather. (Apologies to any readers who are suffering under less clement circumstances!). Today is Midsummer Day, and the photo below is of St John's Wort in a neighbour's garden, a true representative of the season.
Friday 14 June 2024
To Have the Truth
This week's quotation is from Liji, also known as The Book of Rites, one of the five classics of the traditional Confucian canon. It reads, "To have the truth is the way of heaven, to seek is the way of man."