Do Good

There's a new segment on CNN that was begun back in April called CNN Heroes. It profiles people across the world who are doing amazing things to uplift, inspire, protect, and/or advocate for those around them. It was launched back in April, and I have seen at least two stories so far that hit my heart.

The first was about this week's hero: Shada Nasser. Nasser is a lawyer in Yemen who took on a case on behalf of a young girl who was married off to a man who then severely mistreated her.
Per Yemeni law, it is legal for girls to marry before 18, and many brides are as young as 8 or 10 years old. The expectation is that no sexual contact will be initiated with the young brides until they reach 18 years of age; however, that norm is often not followed.

Nasser's work began with a young girl who was married off at the age of 10 to a man 30 years of age. As his sexual advances became violent and forced, the young girl sought help and found Nasser, who took on her case free of charge. Nasser worked to secure a divorce for the young girl, and was able to raise the $200 owed to the husband through donations. The case led to questioning of and debate about the practice of marrying off underage girls, and Nasser is hoping the law will eventually be changed for good.

The second was about Viola Vaughn, an American woman who became the guardian for her grandchildren upon her daughter's early death at the age of 28. Vaughn moved the family to Africa, where she had previously worked, and unexpectedly lost her husband shortly thereafter. She found purpose and peace by focusing on home-schooling her grandchildren... and word spread around their small village she was teaching young girls.

Girls began showing up at her doorstep, and she gradually welcomed more and more in (with the consent of their parents). Many had been removed from school due to failing grades and written off by their villages as being unteachable or too dumb to receive an education. Instead, Vaughn found that societal and economic expectations requiring the girls to work from home prevented them from regularly attending school, which eventually affected their grades so much they were unable to keep pace with the rest of the class.

She now teaches girls in order to augment their regular education and helps them stay on track despite their work schedules. Her school has grown to 1,500 girls (in multiple locations), and she and her students hope one day to reach 10,000 students.

Service is a prevelent theme among many religions of the world and is certainly a very important aspect of Unitarian Universalism. Sometimes, when we begin to serve or find some way through which we can aid others, it seems like a small step... a tiny reaching out that has no greater impact than doing what seems obvious or what comes naturally. We do not imagine ourselves heroes and we do not expect to change the world.

Yet, even in the smallest acts of kindness and selflessness, there is a significant impact because even the tiniest acts can results in consequences we may never see but by which the world is made better. And as if so often the case with true heroes... these amazing contributions began with one small step... one child... one offer to help... one act of reaching out. And the ripples then spread beyond that person's wildest imaginings.

a.m. gift

This morning's Speaking of Faith featured the life and work of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. If you missed it, I highly recommend checking it out - they've got a podcast you can download if you don't get the program on your local public radio station.

I knew nothing of Heschel prior to hearing the program, so I found it quite fascinating. He worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr. on the civil rights movement, protested the war in Vietnam from a religious standpoint, and worked to foster cooperation and understanding among different faiths by highlighting their commonalities and emphasizing the call of any individual linked to the divine to ultimately do his or her best to serve humanity.

His social advocacy efforts and perspective on prayer, faith, and one's relationship to God spoke very directly to me and my own spiritual journey and questions. I think his take on Judaism and religion in general seem to sync up with my take on Unitarian Universalism and the humanist aspect of that faith.

As a mystic, transcendental poet, and activist, he strikes me as an enlightened guy - and he certainly has been heralded by some as a prophet. It made me realize I know very little about prophets or enlightened teachers from multiple faiths; it's something I'd like to learn more about in the coming years.

Such men and women inspire me to be a better person. To seek, live, and offer the divine in my own living. To advocate for others, be an agent of change, serve my fellow humans in whatever way I can, and strive toward compassion and love for everyone I meet.

Not that I come even close on most days... but I believe there is merit in the effort, beauty in the pursuit, and purpose in the goal.

2012 and beyond...

Today held an alarming number of stories about natural disasters across the United States and in other countries. Wildfires in Florida, a sinkhole in Washington, D.C., tornadoes in Missouri and Oklahoma, an earthquake in China, volcano activity, and - of course - the cyclone in Myanmar.

I'm not sure where you sit on the whole greenhouse/2012/sea level rise thing. Andy and I tend to be a little worried about it and spend a lot of time debating whether or not we wish to make safety from natural disasters, potential pole shifts, and/or a crash in the economy a priority when plotting our next steps.

Although I don't fully buy into the prophecies of Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and the like... it is somewhat higher than coincidental those two men and the Mayan calendar all put the world falling apart around the same time. I suppose I buy into it enough to be vaguely concerned and to begin to think about things like paring down on my possessions, living a more sustainable lifestyle, and wanting to build or buy a green home of some kind in a relatively safe area.

Be it driven by external concerns or an internal call to a more peaceful and simple life, Andy and I both have noticed a pull and shift toward a new type of living. I see it as a blend of spiritual needs and practical considerations... something seeking to balance the ascetic qualities of monasticism, the theories of detachment so prevalent in Buddhist philosophy, the social action and humanist commitment of Unitarian Universalism, and the social interest of Adler.

It all seems to coalesce and make sense on some days. I would love to know where the end is, which I think is one of the greatest lessons I've yet to learn: process before content, means rather than end, the journey above the destination.

And so, it is not so important to know where I will end up as it is to know how I want to get there. To ensure authenticity and compassion en route. To follow dreams and strive toward improvement and seek out positive change in the best way I know how.

Some days, the fear and sadness feels a bit more prevelant, but most of the time I simply wish I could do more to help those affected by these many disasters... and I pray the whisperings of darkness to come are simply the anxious worries of mistaken sayers seeking to make sense of the complexity and confusion that may inevitably arise as we move through life.

An angel by any other name

One of the things I find most fascinating and exciting about Unitarian Universalism is its distinction as a covenental faith, rather than a credal faith. The way our local Reverend, Bill Sasso, explains this is, rather than being united around a set of common beliefs, our Fellowship (and other UU congregations) is united by a core set of promises we make to one another. And this covenent is firmly grounded in what we feel is essential to living authentically and working toward being better human beings and serving our local, national, and global community in a way that moves us forward together. At least, that's how I understand it at present.

Thus, I think it is sometimes hard for those who were not raised in (or have decided to eschew) a more credal type of faith to use words that carry a strongly religious connotation: church, angels, prayer, God, etc. Everyone has different comfort levels with particular words... and everyone has their own language and way of understanding their commitment to the Fellowship and its purposes and principles.

Well... today I wanted to focus on the concept of angels. Specifically, how - on certain days in given moments - people within our own lives can act in the capacity of an angel or guide when we are feeling our most lost, sorrowful, helpless, or scared. Maybe it's a random act of kindness, maybe it's being a good friend, maybe it's being in touch with the divine enough in that moment that you know just waht to say or just what to do to make someone else feel better.

My angel today was my friend, Rebecca Chambers. She was a sounding board when I felt tangled in self-doubt, fear, and confusion. She allowed me to be vulnerable long enough to uncover a very important truth, and her gentle support led to a moment of clarity and resolve that I will likely tuck deep inside my core as a treasure I may dig up when insecurity and fear threaten to overtake me again.