The Impossibility of Separation

In recent times I've left this blog somewhat abandoned, giving my attention to a new one called "At Home and Present". It seemed that I needed a blank canvas, in order to cocoon into some inner darkness, in order to carve out a comfortable space for my thoughts to find a home. I needed a space, I thought, separate from the public witness of UU Intersections. I needed my own retreat on the hill.

But city Intersections have reminded me yet again that personal spirituality and story can not be separated from the world's inherent tensions. And my life is connected to the lives of those around me. We move, back and forth, and in and out of the personal and political, on the mobius strip of transformation--the transformation of self tangled in a web of struggle with the greater networks of being- church, government, society; and the transformation of these tangled in the web of individual selves.

In a conversation with my husband last night I realized that it is not who we blame-- be it individual or society's oppressive social structures. Rather, it is how we seek to empower and transform each of these. We must begin at both levels-- the individual is inherently an activist of his/her own destiny, but also responsible to the greater whole. And in reverse, wellness and love must be the basis for our structures and institutions, and we must work together to transform them. NO, it is not who we blame. Rather, it is how we choose to work together toward the greater good--to support and transform both the individual as well as the collective.

The question that has been in my mind this past week: What does it mean to be an "ally" to the oppressed? A story I wrote about last week on my "At Home and Present" suddenly became personal yesterday when my husband and I learned that the teenage boy killed in a Newburgh gang-related stabbing was the son of one of his longtime ESOL students. Meanwhile, a service I had thought to prepare on "UU Heroes" and a community conversation I had been working on with others at the UU library on the legacy of MLK have suddenly taken on other forms...

There is something to be said about the power and privilege that many Unitarian Universalists enjoy-- enjoy in spite of class differences among us. Enjoy because we are, for the most part, able to stand from a point of distant intellectual observance. I have been arguing for awhile that we need to stand closer to the center-- closer to the middle of the struggles of the poor and oppressed.

But as I argue for this, I remember once again that where we stand has absolutely nothing to do with heroism, and everything to do with alliance.

I have a bunch of teenage kids in the city of Newburgh to thank for this-- teenagers who are sharing ideas on a new Facebook page called "Newburgh: Stop the Violence". With over 3,000 fans, the page is not free of finger-pointing--much of which seems to come from adults. But, the page creator and other teens have been sharing ideas for possible change and nonviolent action, including organizing speakers and holding a Peace March. Where adults have failed, teens are rising...compelled with a feeling that "it is up to us".

But, the truth is they are not alone. There are allies. If once, in our history, UU clergy could march beside the people of Selma and Montgomery, then I wonder-- to what drum will we march today?