LackLustre

Andy came across a news story last night about a man who had kept his daughter prisoner in his basement for 24 years. She, nor any of her 7 children (he was the father), had not seen daylight of any kind since her kidnapping at the age of 18.

I was trying to find a link for the story today and came across another story about a man who had killed his infant child. Blunt trauma and suffocation.

These things make me not only question my belief in God, but also my belief in humankind. Now... to be a UU you don't necessarily have to believe in God - you can be agnostic, atheist, or any other kind of yea/nay God-sayer out there. And, I suppose, you don't even have to believe in the goodness of human beings. Believing in the possibilty of reason surely helps, but I don't know that it's a firm requirement.

The idea is to live with the seven UU principles in mind. To promise to live with certain things in mind (these are taken from the UUA website):

We affirm and promote...

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Which I suppose is the point. Despite the lack of some of these elements within the world... my goal - my purpose - as a UU is to faithfully affirm and promote these principles myself. To respond to hatred, fear, violence, etc. with compassion, respect, acceptance, etc.

One of my instructors talked about using approach statements with group work; in essence, the point is to respond to any conflict with openness and moving in, rather than moving away or shutting down. Not always the easiest thing to do... but it's such a wonderful way to conceptualize response to any negative response or behavior one might encounter.

And to me, it does connect back to God, or my concept of God (albeit somewhat shaken at times). To me, all seven principles relate to an inherent belief that all people are divine. A piece of a larger, interconnected whole that - on a very basic level - must be accepted with openness and an attempt at honest connection or communication.

It connects to counseling too: everyone has a story; everyone comes from a unique past that is unlike any other... and paradoxically, on that insane level of multiplicity and diversity, we are universally linked in ways that make us one.

And some days that is more joyful than others.