Thoughts

One of the aspects of my faith that I have the most difficulty with is accepting other people regardless of where they are. As a human, I like to hang with people like me. This is understandable, as tribalism exists in the world as an artifact of the world we have lived in for the last 10,000 years.

And yet, UUism calls me to be accepting of others and to encourage others in their spiritual growth. How can I be tribal and accepting of others at the same time? I think a big part of that practice is being honest with yourself about the biases you may have. I value thoughtfulness and intelligence highly. I do not place as much value on art and entertainment. It is not that I don’t like those things, but someone who orients their life around art make it immediately more difficult for me to find similarities and to enjoy their company.

The gospel of Matthew suggests that Christ’s heaven is an equal opportunity saver. That is, it is not a place where those who worked the hardest receive the best, or those who took and never gave suffer. The parable of the vineyard laborers more or less spells out a universal salvation message for those who would be willing to work, not for how much they work. And, as a parable, that means that those who come to find love and compassion late in life are no less entitled to salvation than anyone else.

I just finished the book The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt and was struck by a line at the beginning of his acknowledgment section. Relaying what a graduate student once taught him he explains that we do not express gratitude to settle debts or sow the ground for favors. We give our gratitude out to make stronger relationships.

I was struck by what a simple, yet profound thought that was. Gratefulness is not a selfish tool we wield to get the upper hand. Humans, while highly rational about a great many things, operate more like bees in a hive than most would give us credit for. Hives need cohesion. Strong relationships breed cohesion. The process is so clear.