After months of quarantining we are being pushed to return to “normal”. But should we? Could we use this lesson as a way to change destructive habits? And what is the cost to the front-line workers in returning to the previous habits? Let’s look at this closer. [Recording opens with “We Are Not in the Same Boat” by an unknown author.]
We have entered a time of uncertainty. This is the time between realizing we are in a crisis, but before knowing the extent of it. This time is unsettling, it is much like passing through airport security, trying to get reorganized before we board the plane for the real trip. How do we become recombobulated?
Nancy Reid-McKee with a reflection on Chaos Theory, and the changes in our life due to coronavirus. This reflection was part of a virtual worship service on Zoom teleconferencing.
Hard times come around for all of us. Some people get knocked down by challenges and never recover. Some are more resilient, and can bounce back to where they started. Some rise like a phoenix from the ashes – stronger than ever before. How can we build resilience in ourselves, each other, and our communities? What protective factors create the safety nets that catch us when we fall, and launch us back up onto our feet? Speaker: Janelle Durham
Some of the hardest work we do is healing the broken world. And so, we give and we share what we have. What does the next step look like? Our prophets (not our Biblical, but our Social prophets) call us into relationship with others. That means moving closer, becoming proximate to those most broken.
This week, the Kirkland area is living with the presence of coronavirus in our community. We worry about over-reacting… we wonder if we should just go on about our lives as usual, knowing that for many people this virus only causes a mild illness. We worry about under-reacting. If we don’t change our behaviors, and keep going out in the world and interacting as we always do, could we increase the spread of the disease, putting many others at risk. In the spirit of compassion, and honoring the interconnectedness of all beings, we try to find a middle way.
This is an important election year. We must be involved and use this year to promote our values in the world if we truly believe we are part of the interconnected web, dedicated to healing the world. At the same time we must learn resiliency, how we maintain our core integrity, when the political situation feels threatening. (Opens with a reading from Clarissa Pinkola Estes.)
