What do we owe others?

 

Question 1. What Do You Owe to Others? … In other words, what is the best way to treat the people who are in your life, and the groups you’re most concerned about?

Justice 

Fairness 

Respect 

Honesty 

Decency 

Cooperation 

Generosity

 

McIntosh, Developmental Politics, p.183

 

All of the virtues are important and I endeavor to treat people with all these seven virtues in mind. If I had to pick a basic virtue, it would be honesty. People are not free if they are lied to.

Unitarian Universalists join together to affirm and promote, justice, equity, and compassion in human relations and in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

Offering our own state of being.

 

 

The work of building a better society ultimately involves improving the “civic virtue” of individual persons, and this cannot be accomplished by cultural evolution alone. To effectively cultivate character development and thereby foster the authentic betterment of our people, the project of evolving culture ultimately requires spiritual growth.

 

McIntosh, Steve. Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself (p. 128). Paragon House. Kindle Edition. 

 

The level of spiritual intelligence in the people of the U.S. is very low. They are not aware of their stages of points of view and that these points of view can be described from an evolutionary map: traditional, modern, postmodern.

 

Understanding that the primary values of people at the different stages transform as a person grows up is missing from our national consciousness. McIntosh makes the point that this map of evolutionary development begins with the individual and then becomes the norms and attitudes of groups and then becomes the culture of a society.

 

The facilitation of positive development begins with the raising of consciousness initiated by people whose level of consciousness is already at a more developed stage. This is done primarily by demonstration and example not by words. People at higher levels of spiritual intelligence have a salubrious effect on those they interact with. Actions speak louder than words.

 

Steve Gaskin said one time that in the end all that we have to offer another human being is our own state of being.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

UU A Way Of Life supports the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

UU A Way Of Life ministries supports New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. We sponsored a youth to go to the Youth Advocacy Day in Albany, NY on 05/07/19. For more click here.



The second principle of Unitarian Univeralism is to covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

People are happier in social democratic countries?

Does democratic socialism make people happier?

You bet it does. Look at the data.

Why are people happier in social democratic countries?

They are free from fears of impoverishment from predictable life events like sickness.

Unitarian Universalists know this because they covenant together to affirm and promote their second principle which is justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. This is a fundamental value of social democratic forms of government, but NOT of capitalistic countries where the only value is financial greed, the so called "bottom line."

Today's lesson - Letting go of grievances is second principle work and God's plan for salvation.

Today's lesson, number 72 in A Course In Miracles, is "Holding grievances is an attack on God's plan for salvation."

The introduction to A Course In Miracles says in part, "The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance."

Isn't that beautiful?

Love is our natural inheritance and is always with us. The Universalists have taught this since the late 1700s in the America.

The problem is all the crap and bull shit which we surround ourselves with. The crap and bullshit fightenes us, angers us, hurts us, and we are left with resentments, grievances, and vengefulness. And when we fill our lives with this ego nonsense, it's no wonder we have lost sight of love.

God's plan for salvation, as the Universalists have taught us, is Unconditional love which knows nothing of time and is eternal. It is here right now and it will be where ever we go even as we "pass away" from this veil of tears.

The second principle of Unitarian Univeralism asks us to affirm and promote, justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. Application of this second principle is the giving up of grievances which we hold which are an attack on God's plan for salvation which is the manifestation of Unconditional Love.

Salvation is when everybody loves everybody all the time. Humanity is a long way from achieving this goal, but we can experience this Unconditional Love for a second in giving up the grievances that we hold on to. This giving up of grievances that we hold on to that ACIM calls "forgiveness."

Forgiveness is a miracle because it is a letting go of grievances and a shift from conditional love to unconditional love. In this perfect moment, healing occurs and we experience an abiding peace.

Justice, equity, and compassion: what is one without the other two?

Haste makes waste.
Pushing the river is exhausting and causes problems.
Coercion and force create bad karma.

Patience and persistence is the best way to proceed.
Rome wasn't built in a day as they say.
Slow down, you move too fast, you've got to make the morning last.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion. What is justice without equity and compassion?
What is equity and compassion without justice?
What is compassion without justice and equity?
UUs are wise in their covenant and know how to respect the interdependent web and not take any part out of context.

UUAWOL index - most common type of weapon used in active shooter events

Percentage of weapon type used in active shooter events in United States = pistol 56%

Unitarian Univeralists covenant together to affirm and promote seven principles one of which is justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. It has been definitely been proven by public health research that the possession of firearms does not make one safer but increases the risk of death by firearm. Practice of the second principle would lead a person to adopt a nonviolent life style of which firearms have little or no part.

In times of tragedy from whence comes Grace?

During September, 2017 we continue our discussion of the UUAWOL fiction book for the month which is Dave Eggers' novel, Heroes Of The Frontier. Heroes Of The Frontier doesn't have much of a plot and it not being plot driven so some readers might find it boring but it is rich in character and observations of the human condition. For example, Eggers writes about Samantha, Josie's foster sister, "But Sam had always been flippant about any loss, any tragedy. She felt it her right, as a survivor of a broken personal world." p.136. I know people like this and feel and act this way myself at times. I sometimes feel exasperated with people when I'm not all that empathic and want to say to them, "Look, you need to get over yourself. This shit that has happened to you is really not all that important in the big scheme of things."

Our Unitarian Universalist faith teaches us, though, that every person is important and has inherent worth and dignity and that we should treat each other with compassion. Well when you have been wounded yourself, or worse yet, traumatized, this kind of empathy is extremely difficult if not impossible without the intervention of some kind of grace.

Those of us, who have resolved our trauma and learned from it, are especially called upon to minister to those who are still hurting. To be flippant and dismissive is to protect ourselves from having our wounds re-opened. It is important for us in our ministry to tune into where people hurt and at the very least do no further damage. The intervention of grace referred to above comes from the covenant we make with each other to promote and affirm the faith we have placed in our seven principles. The covenant is a source of grace. The more the merrier. Many hands make light work.

Film recommendation: "A Most Violent Year"

UUAWOL will be more regularly posting movie and book reviews about movies and books that have something significant, uplifting, inspirational, and informative to teach us about the human condition.
One such movie is A Most Violent Year but the film's title is misleading, because this film is not about violence but about moral rectitude.

The main character, Abel Morales, says at the end of the film, sounding like a Buddhist which he probably does not identify with or even know anything about, " You should know that I have always taken the path that is most right. The result is never in question for me. Just what path do you take to get there, and there is always one that is most right. And that is what this is."

The UU principle this film best exemplifies is the second, "Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations." This film might lead to a good discussion afterwards about UU principles.

I give A Most Violent Year a 4 on the UUAWOL 5 point scale. For more click here.

If you have recommendations and/or reviews of films and books, please send them to me at davidgmarkham@gmail.com or leave the suggestions in the comments below.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your acts of compassion

Dear Heather:

You asked me whether you should help your demented mother or not and I replied why would you want to help and you started to cry and get upset and I decided to wait to listen to what you would say. You cried all the harder and I continued to wait and then you calmed down and said to me, "I'm pretty messed up aren't I?"

I said, "What do you mean?" And you said, "I don't know what I'm doing so I drink and you must be so disappointed with me."

I didn't know what to do so I asked the Holy Spirit to help me know what to say to you. I thought of the second UU principle which asks us to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in our human relations and I wondered what this principle would have me do in this situation to help you.

The thought that came to me was that whatever I said or did should be to strengthen your sense of empowerment and well being and not weaken it. I think you are stronger than you give yourself credit for and that deep down you already know what the right thing to do is. You just have to get past the drama in you life, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and then follow your instincts.

I finally said, "I'm not disappointed in you. You got to do what you've got to do and if drinking is your way of dealing with your confusion, grief, anger, and fears then what I want to ask is 'How is that working for you'?"

I remember what you said to me. Do you remember? You said with gritted teeth and half laughing, "Shitty."

I laughed with you and asked, "What else could you do?" You started to share some other ideas you had.

Then I had to go, said goodbye, and have wondered ever since how things have been going for you. If you are interested and willing, drop me a line or give me a call because I'd like to know what happened next.

I wish you the best,

David

More unum, less pluribus

Dear Jason:

I am glad you enjoyed the bumper sticker, "Too much pluribus, not enough unum." It made me laugh as well and there is nothing that joins people together in a holy instant of communication like a good laugh, and a song.

We get so hung up on bodies and we get aroused sexually by the fantasy of their interaction that we forget that the joy and the bliss of such togetherness comes from the rapport, the deep communication not from physical friction. And so we might appreciate that heaven would be the joyous rapport without the necessity of bodies, only pure communication and a sense of beloved oneness. It says in A Course In Miracles, "For communication embraces everything, and in the peace it re-establishes, love comes of itself."

When, Jason, you find a friend that you can talk to without any effort or sacrifice, only pure joy and openness, you no doubt, if you are mindful, will be aware of a blessing which we call grace. If we are skilled enough to listen deeply to a person and we look for the divine spark and focus on that we can establish this kind of rapport with any of our brothers and sisters. These skills do take a purity of mind, an intention of generosity of our effort and energy, and the deliberate diminishment, if not elimination, of our fears. These skills are a very tall order, but achievable of development with sincere intention.

Our Unitarian Univeralist covenant calls us to this kind of life in our first, second, and third principles. We promise to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person,  to strive towards justice, equity, and compassion in all our human relations, and to accept one another and encourage the spiritual growth of ourselves and those we interact with in our congregations, our work places, our families, our communities, our states, our nation, and the whole wide world.

If you wonder, Jason, if this can be done, we can study and reflect on the lives of Jesus, Buddha, St. Francis, Martin Luther King, Jr. and any number of other enlightened masters and saints who have walked the earth. You may have your own heroes and heroins whom you admire and would like to emulate. We UUs call these people "prophetic women and men" and their lives and witness are the second of six sources of the UU tradition.

If there is one quality which I would encourage you to look for it would be a cosmic consciousness, what we UUs call a respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. There seems to be a minority of human beings who achieve this level of awareness and I don't know if UUs are any more developed than our fellow citizens, but at least we intellectually acknowledge this value which is far more than most human organizations and individuals do.

Let us work together, Jason, for more unum and to respect and appreciate the pluribus without attacking it as threatening.

We should strive Jason to create heaven right now, right here where we presently find ourselves. We can accomplish this with the establishment of loving communication. I define the atonement as that time in human history when everybody loves everybody all the time. Each time we ask the Holy Spirit to help us with this activity, we decrease the length of time before human kind achieves this state.

Blessings to you and your family,

Uncle David

Second principle practice - American gulag part one

From "Captive Market" by Michael Ames in the February, 2015 issue of Harper's Magazine:

The United States currently holds about 2.3 million men, women, and children inside secure concrete and metal boxes from which they will almost certainly not escape. 

Our nation is exceptional in this way, with incarceration rates that far surpass those in Russia, Iran, or any other country on earth. 

One in twenty-eight American children has a parent in jail. African Americans have for decades been arrested for narcotics at more than three times the rate of white Americans, despite using drugs at roughly the same rate. 

There are more black men in the prison system right now then there were male slaves in the antebellum South. 

Counting parolees and probationers, the corrections system controls the lives of nearly 7 million people. Half of all federal inmates are in prison for drug offenses, and post-9/11 immigration roundups have provided a new human- inventory stream. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of detainees held each year by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more than doubled—from
209,000 to at least 429,000—making foreign migrants one of the largest demographics in federal custody.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote 7 principles and values. The second principle is "Justice, Equity, and Compassion in Human Relations" There is a huge values gap between what we, as Americans say we believe in and value, and our practices what we actually do. How can be close this values gap and bring our values more into alignment with espoused values.