“Justice without love may end in brutality, but love without justice must end in banality. Love empowers justice, and justice embodies love. Keep them both, or get neither.”–John Dominic Crossan
I was motivated to write today’s words in response to a friend’s sharing of protestors in the steps of the Michigan Capital armed with guns. This is not an argument against or for the right to bear arms. Instead, it is a realization of just how damaging the polarization of our nation has become. I noted that we are increasingly led by dividers (NOTE: plural). I also believe we have yielded our personal responsibility to community. A people divided cannot stand.
“We the people…” is a statement of Spirituality. It expresses that the collective needs supersede the needs of the individual. Spiritual well-centeredness recognizes that one is not at the center of the Universe.
We are increasingly divided and separated into “us” and “them”. We are neglectful of the median for the sake of the two to three standard deviations—the extremes.
It is time (passed time) to consider the needs of another ahead of our own. I, personally, believe this is what is meant the statement that “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27, NIV). Every crisis in society seems to polarize us further. This COVID-19 crisis is just one of many and should be a wake-up call.
I am of the opinion that decisions (at all levels) are being made out of fear and self-interests. (This, of course, is not to say that there are not some who genuinely have the interests of others in mind or to negate the actions of those who are putting their lives and livelihoods on the lines for the welfare as a whole. Unfortunately, the contributions of these—the majority—are diminished by the selfish choices of the extremes.) Leadership must be selfless—other-centered. Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) recently reminded Congress that “leadership is courage to lead from the front.” Leadership from the front is leadership from the middle. It is selfless. It is other-serving. Indeed, it requires courage—and it requires sacrifice. It requires the strength of compassion. Above all, it requires wisdom.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!