BUILDING BRIDGES: DOING THE INNER WORK THAT CAN LEAD TO SOCIETAL CHANGE

It took me time to put into words one of the realizations I finally admitted to myself this past summer: I was waking up in the morning feeling like a dark cloud was overhead. I wake up feeling rested most days. As I lie in bed for a few moments after waking, I enjoy thinking about what I want to accomplish once I’m up and moving. I always try to include activities that foster a sense of joy.

I don’t know why I procrastinated in acknowledging this new sensation  Once I finally put into words what I was experiencing, I started realizing the impact that this sense of doom or gloom was having on me physically and spiritually. Telltale signals for me when I am feeling down or worried about something include feelings of anxiety and a sense that something is seriously wrong.

Even though I avoid doomscrolling it is impossible to escape bearing witness to all of the daily acts of  and destructiveness conducted in our country currently. This darksome aura cuts into my welcoming openness in meeting and greeting others. I find it difficult to radiate generosity of spirit as well as a sense of hope when I witness utter disregard for others along with actions that threaten our own lives multiple times during the day.

Having a clearer sense of what was contributing to my angst, I made a commitment at the beginning of the summer that I wanted to “build a wider, deeper moat around my spiritual center as  way of buffering the hate and violence that we are experiencing.” My goal was to build up my resources to help counter these feelings of darkness and doom.

As I was on the lookout for some resources that would help me achieve my goal, I received an invitation to attend an online seminar offered by the Center for Courage and Renewal. The lead presenter, Parker J. Palmer, was the founder of the Center, and a life-long educator and a Quaker. The title of his presentation, Inner Work for Societal Change, caught my attention as I anticipated that Palmer’s words would be in line with my goals.

My Parish has invited me to give the last Sermon of the summer for the last 15 years. My goal to add to my spiritual resources this summer served as the basis of my Sermon:  “Holding Tensions With An Open Heart.”

In case you are wondering why I found this work on how we hold tensions in our hearts appealing, here is a window into my thinking. As I watch many of the polls assessing the current administration’s policies, they clearly show that more and more Americans are disagreeing with decisions that are not in line with what many people thought they were voting for.

As more people become disenchanted with the actions that are antithetical to a society committed to a democracy, people are going to want to talk about how they feel misled. If we are to engage in such conversations, we have to do the inner work that will help us participate in such discussions without condemning the speakers.

Here are some basic steps that I believe are inviting us to do the work to prepare for these important conversations that may help us bridge some of the political divides we are currently living with. Note: Based on the comments offered by Parker Palmer, I do believe that there are people who for reasons I don’t fully understand want to destroy our democracy. Do they believe they have a better plan and that is what drives them? I don’t think so.

From what I’m seeing, some are pushing for a dictator. Think of the title of an old TV series, “Father Knows Best.”  Yes, democracy by its very nature is a messy, complicated process. There are many different ideas on the “right” or “best” solution. But to reach a decision, there inevitably has to be compromise.

Palmer is a lifelong Quaker, and the Quaker tradition relies on consensus to reach decisions. While such a process is too time-consuming to address all of the decisions awaiting attention to keep a country running, we can learn from that process.

When people have time to state their concerns, such insights might more easily allow us to see room for compromise as we realize aspects of a decision that we haven’t considered.      

In my next series of posts, I’ll be exploring a variety of topics related to this process. To begin with we’ll start by examining our assumptions about those who voted differently from us.

I know people that I believe to be good people who didn’t vote the same way I did. I know by witnessing how these individuals live their lives, they are good people who frequently exhibit kindness and compassion towards others.

We’ll start there; exploring how good people who are committed to democracy could end up voting for  a party whose leadership is out to destroy our democracy.

Here’s a great quote by Terry Tempest Williams:  “The human heart is the first home of democracy.”  Think about that powerful statement.  What do you think it means?  Stay tuned!