Sunday, January 28, 2018

Moral Voice

The Mystery within...
Two statements caught my attention recently.  I’m not sure if I read or heard the first one, “If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”  And, the second is a quote from a German forester, Peter Wohllenben’s book, “The Hidden Life of Trees.  ‘A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.’ Trees could have come up with this old crafts-person’s saying.  And because they know this intuitively, they do not hesitate to help each other out.  Wohllenben writes of the amazing discovery he made in how beech trees provide nourishment, protection and healing for one another through their interconnected root systems.  Their interconnections help other beech trees growing in less desirable locations within the forest, and can even keep some trees alive and regenerate new bark after they have been purposely girdled in attempts to kill them. Wohllenben’s story of interconnectedness in a healthy forest struck me as an apt metaphor for understanding the political crisis we face in America and the world today.  We need to help each other through systems that distribute nourishment and healing to those who need it in our human communities throughout our country and the world.   We need our moral voices raised to be part of the solution. 

From where we are planted we can know America is headed in the wrong direction with a “me first” mentality, and can understand it will ultimately weaken us all.  Not all of us can become legislators or lobbyists working for what needs to happen to establish and keep systems in place to grow a healthier society.  But we can seek out others who are on the front lines working for justice and peace.  We can let our legislators know we want systems to protect and heal the most vulnerable in our society.  It’s about caring for the welfare of others and letting our moral voice be heard.     

There is an organization of honest and brave women resistors who are on the front lines working for justice and peace for all, led by Sr. Simone Campbell of Nun’s on the Bus fame.  She is also a lawyer and lobbyist advocating for Catholic social justice issues.  The one suggestion I would have for Sr. Simone is to lower the case in catholic to make it more inviting and inclusive to people of all faiths, and for those of us who no longer declare a religious affiliation, the other nones.  My computer’s New Oxford American dictionary defines catholic as:  adjective, including a wide variety of things, all-embracing:  her tastes are pretty catholic.

I highly recommend you poke around on Sr. Simone’s Network website.  You will be amazed at the many different ways we can have a part in furthering social justice in our country and the world.  Like Wohllenben’s birch trees we can each contribute to a healthier society and world through our moral voice.  The dedicated women and men at Network are eager to help you get your voice heard.


What if we got excited about being part of the solution by letting our moral voice be heard more often?   

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