If Nothing's Wrong, then Nothing's Right!

December 21, 1985. Tracy Ham had thrown that touchdown pass into the hands of Frankie Johnson, and the Georgia Southern Eagles had won their first National Championship, in Tacoma Washington. My family had traveled up with the Eagles on the chartered plane and now we were headed back to the ‘Boro with them. Our noises of happy celebration were mixed with the growling stomachs of the ball players who had not eaten since breakfast many, many hours before. And for some reason, the flight attendants served them alcoholic drinks – but not food, till after they had served those of us who were boosters riding with them. That was a mistake. The players got a little rowdy and a couple of them started harassing one of the female flight attendants.

Legendary Coach Erk Russell was sitting on the front row and heard some of the commotion. He got up, walked to the mid-section of the plane where the boys were acting out, and all got quiet. He looked at the young men, pointed to them, and said two words: “Do Right!” Then he turned around and went to his seat. No yelling and screaming at them, no lecture on how to treat women, no discussion on the etiquette of behavior on planes,…. Just those two words: “Do Right.”

And they did.

It was Erk’s belief that by the time they got to college, most of these kids KNEW right from wrong, so they just needed this ONE rule – do right. Perhaps Erk was a Unitarian in that since. But there are others that don’t see it quite so simply.

In the song I’m using for my sermon themes this year, Ric Masten says: “If nothing’s wrong, then nothing’s right.” I’m not quite sure what Ric meant by that – and alas, he’s no longer with us so I can’t ask him. I’ll assume that since most of the phrases in this song are lifting up opposing aspects of life as meaningful, perhaps he is doing that with wrong and right. As if, if we never do anything wrong, we won’t know that we are doing anything right. I can go with that… mistakes are important learning tools. But there is there is a difference in getting something wrong – by mistake – and doing wrong intentionally. And is that a wrong we lift up as well – just for contrast?

Then there is the even bigger problem of the ambiguity of the world, in terms of right and wrong. How do we struggle with morality in today’s complex world? Ric’s song tells us that we should “Let it be a dance,” and I’m willing to move in all those directions – sometimes tango, sometimes waltz, and sometimes do the boo-ga-loo.

This is an age old dance that folks have done for many, many, years ---- and some of these folks have even passed down some of their conclusions about right and wrong and morality for us to ponder. Here are some quotes I’ve collected.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7:12 (quoting Jesus)

“The time is always right to do what’s right.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.”
Carl Gustav Jung

“Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong.”
Adolf Hitler

“It is curious --- curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare.”
Mark Twain

“I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.”
Ernest Hemingway

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” Dante (and quoted by MLK Jr.)

“Morality is herd-instinct in the individual.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

“For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so.”
William Shakespeare from Hamlet

“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.”
Ayn Rand

“When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before."
Mae West

Just as when we are learning to dance, we are sometimes taught very particular simple dances with definite steps to take – so my learning in college about morality included that kind of linear analysis. And you don’t talk about moral development – STILL – without at least giving a shout out to this man.

Lawrence Kohlberg (October 25, 1927 – January 19, 1987)
Kohlberg studied moral reasoning by presenting subjects with moral dilemmas. He would then categorize and classify the reasoning used in the responses, into one of six distinct stages, grouped into three levels: pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. Each level contains two stages.

Now his most famous dilemma was known as the Heinz dilemma – and I’m sure you have probably heard this one before – it’s the one where the man steals the medicine he can’t afford that will cure his wife. And then the question is asked:

Should Heinz have broken into the store to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?
From Kohlberg’s theoretical point of view -- -it’s not whether the person thinks that he should or should not steal the drug that is informing us --- it’s the reason he gives that determines his or her level of moral development --- from a lower level of considering the punishment --- on up the steps.
Kohlberg was convinced that if we gave children opportunities to think and practice, and had discussions with them, we could gradually assist them moving to higher levels. So when I was preparing teachers – back in the 80’s, I shared some of this with them – but I told them the dilemmas often used in these curricula were ridiculous. They were not things that really happened to children. For example –“there are seven people in a lifeboat that is made for six --- so one has to go – and should it be the priest or the pregnant woman – or who?” I don’t know about you – but that hasn’t happened to me or anyone that I know. But we DO face moral dilemmas daily and our children do as well. So I shared with them a game that I had played with my first and second graders called “In a pickle.” I wrote down these little scenarios that possibly COULD happen to them on pieces of green construction paper shaped like dill pickles and I put them in a pickle jar, and they would draw the pickle out – and we’d have a discussion about it. And I tried to see what level they were, and then talk about possibilities for the next level up. And I was proud of myself --- till I started hearing all the feminist critique of Kohlberg.

And that critique mainly came from this woman – Carol Gilligan.
Harvard University Press has described her book, In a Different Voice, as “the little book that started a revolution.” In this text, she criticized Kohlberg's stages of moral development of children which argued that girls on average reached a lower level of moral development than boys did. Gilligan argued that the participants in Kohlberg's basic study were largely male. She also stated that the scoring method Kohlberg used tended to favor a principled way of reasoning that was more common to boys, over a moral argumentation concentrating on relations, which would be more amenable to girls.

Her work has gotten a lot of criticism as well. In reality – they are both right and both wrong, I think… I suppose it’s all relative --- or is it? That’s actually another criticism I have for much of this work --- we put that “situational, all’s relative, postmodern” screen on everything – when sometimes we don’t need it. Some actions in life are generally right or wrong – almost always. I mean – for example, you may have some strange situations where you’ve got Anne Frank in the attic or something – but in most all cases, you should tell the truth. In any case, these 20th century theorists gave us lots to think about – especially till it’s we could move to more scientific explorations. Ah, yes – and here is where I look to some of my relatives for some help!



No – I don’t mean Jane Goodall. I mean my cousin that’s with her, the chimpanzee! Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston shared on the Bill Mayer show recently that he does not believe in evolution and that he is not related to the chimpanzee. Well, that’s good because I do believe in evolution, and I will happily claim kin with this chimp – and actually might prefer claiming kin to chimps rather than politicians. Indeed, Goodall’s research showed that the chimps shared many of the positive AND negative behaviors and emotions that we previously believed were developed in humans only. And this chimp research continues with others today – not so far from here.

This is Franz de Waal who works at The Yerkes National Primate Center in Atlanta. We could take a field trip! On a public radio show I listened to about morality, de Wall took the interviewer up to an observation tower. He had broken off some blackberry branches on the way – because the chimps love to eat these. So --- when they got to the top, he threw the branches down. The young chimps all ran up and start trying to grab them and they were making this loud screaming noise you could hear on the radio – then it stopped SUDDENLY. De Waal explained that the alpha male had stepped into the area. This male followed by male number two – came to where the big branch had been dropped. The alpha male and the #2 male divided up the branch and gave everybody some – and yes, some got a bigger portion than others – but everybody got some. And that is NOT something they were trained to do.

De Waal notes that we call nice behavior “humane” – but it’s actually a very ancient tendency. Chimps do fight and kill each other – but on the whole – they get along.

So there is more and more evidence that sharing, reciprocity – and EMPATHY are already in our brains.

Here’s an example of another primate showing that she cares.
Link for gorilla saving boy at zoo.

Because folks had movie cameras, this was spread all over the news as something really unusual. But De Waal says this is the kind of thing they do all the time with each other --- and the little boy was close enough kin for her to respond this way.

So these basic “do good” ideas like sharing and helping someone that is hurt are not a “higher good” that we possess --- but something we’ve evolved from our previous lower selves. And when we make that “gut” decision – we can thank evolution.

That leads me to another researcher who is doing some remarkable work. This young whipper snapper is: Joshua Greene – who is both a philosopher and a neuroscientist, and he’s doing some groundbreaking research at Harvard. Greene is using some of these moral dilemmas – and he’s sharing them with folks – and asking them to make decisions about what they would do -- while scanning their brains.

Consider the following moral dilemma.
You are driving in a very remote area and see a man by the road waving you down. He’s been hurt while hiking and you can see that he is bleeding badly and needs immediate medical attention. He asks that you take him to the nearest hospital. But your car has nice seats that will probably be very hard and perhaps costly to clean if you take this man. Is it okay for you to leave him?

Most folks say it would be seriously wrong to leave him.

Now here’s another case – which nearly all of us have faced. You receive a letter from a reputable international aid organization asking for a two hundred dollar donation that could bring much needed medical attention to some poor people in another part of the world. Is it okay for you not to make a donation in order to save up some money?

Most folks say that is would not be wrong to refrain from making a donation in this case.

In both cases, one has the option to give someone much needed medical attention at a relatively modest financial cost. And yet – the person who fails to help in the first case is a moral monster, whereas the person who fails to help in the second case is okay. Why is there a difference?

So Joshua Greene asks his participants to respond to these kinds of things while their brains are scanned and found that judgments in response to “personal” moral dilemmas, compared with “impersonal” ones, involved greater activity in brain areas that are associated with emotion and social cognition. Why?

Our ALTRUISTIC instincts reflect the environment in which they evolved rather than our present environment. With this in mind, consider that our ancestors did not evolve in an environment in which total strangers on opposite sides of the world could save each others’ lives by making relatively modest material sacrifices. They DID evolve in an environment in which individuals standing face-to-face could save each other. So – it makes sense that we would have evolved altruistic instincts that direct us to help others in dire need, but mostly when the ones in need are presented in an “up-close and-personal” way.

And of course, we understand this – even if we don’t know the brain research behind it.

Now many times we will go with our “gut” when making a decision --- the thing that “just feels right.” And what Joshua is telling us is those are the morals hard-wired in from early primate days. And that backs up the same research that Franz and others are doing with primates.

However – Joshua also observes that the calculating mind lights up when we are considering scenarios that are not so “up close” and sometimes the gut and the calculating mind try to shout each other out. When there is a real battle there – the frontal lobes behind the eyebrows also light up– and when they do light up more, the individual is likely to make the decision which is more “rational” rather than the “gut” decision. And that’s probably a good thing too.

Indeed, though some things are pretty cut and dried, we face these dilemmas everyday --- and call upon both the “gut” part of our brain, and the more rational part in trying to figure out what to do. And sometimes it just helps to know what’s going on as we deliberate.

I’m going to share with you a recent moral dilemma that I faced – because it involved this congregation.

As you probably all know, there are several pieces of anti-immigrant legislation under consideration in Georgia – as well as other states. Georgia is now debating whether to join 39 other states that bar undocumented youth from accessing higher education. And even if this gets bogged down in committee this year (and hopefully it will), these students must pay the out of state rate which makes it impossible for most to even apply. Also, many are impoverished but ineligible for financial aid, scholarships, Pell grants, or the HOPE scholarship. Undocumented youth cannot legally work to help pay for college. Now these students did not do anything wrong. We can argue about whether or not their parents should have brought them here – but the students themselves have grown up here in Georgia, attending our schools, and having the same dreams as other American students.

Because of the support our congregation has given to the immigrant community in Bulloch County in the past, I was asked by members of the Committee on Tolerance and Community Collaboration if we would be willing to take the leadership in setting up a scholarship fund for four or more Bulloch County undocumented students. –This would not COST the congregation money, but we would be, in some ways, legitimizing it for others. And also, if we used an account in our name, folks could give money to UUFS and designate for this fund, and therefore it would be tax deductible. My GUT said YES!!! This is what we are about! This is “Standing on the Side of Love!”

I wrote a proposal and presented it to our board at our last meeting – asking that I be able to continue to explore this, with input from the legal and financial experts in our association. And they cautiously agreed for me to explore and come back with a recommendation. I must praise the folks at the top of our association for the work they did researching the ramifications of this in the state of Georgia for me. And my conversations with them led me to withdrawing the proposal to our board. I don’t have time to explain all of this in this sermon, but I had to weigh out possible legal implications for our congregation.

Yet – my GUT still says YES. Especially after I met and talked with one of these students Thursday afternoon. And that is why I’m sharing this with you today – to let you know that I’m not going to ask you as a congregation to join this effort, but if you are able, I hope that you will join us as a private citizen. That is what I’m going to do. I’m going to sign my name to a letter to the editor and I’m going to give to this account that we have set up at a local bank. No, it will not be tax deductible – but so what.

I share with my Unitarian ancestor Edward Hale these values:

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the one thing I can do.

And I invite you to join me.
(Sing) “Let it be a dance we do. May I have this dance with you? In the good times and the bad times too, let it be a dance!”

Share the Laughter; Bare the Pain

Ric Masten’s song, “Let it be a dance” in our hymnbook includes these words – “Share the laughter, bear the pain.” And the word in “bear” in the hymnal is spelled – “b-e-a-r.” But in Ric’s other publications of his song – the word is spelled “b-a-r-e.” I was in communication with Ric back when I was in seminary, and he told me what happened. He decided to make it “b-a-r-e” rather than “b-e-a-r” after hearing one of his earlier listeners to the song, say: “We must learn not to bear (b-e-a-r) the pain – not to keep it bottled up inside. Rather we should bare (b-a-r-e) it – share it, unburden our selves of the sorrow and pain that comes along with life." When the UU hymnal committee asked if they could use his song – with some revisions in the rhythm to make it a little easier to sing, he agreed. And he sent them a copy of it from an earlier publication that had obviously been proofed – but he didn’t comment or call attention to the word “bare”—and he didn’t do that on purpose just to see what would happen. Sure enough, when the proofs came back to him, they had “corrected” his spelling and it was “bear.” Because he had a playful nature – he decided not to correct it. He wrote to me, “That typo has given me the punch line for every concert and reading I've done since then. I even use the “bear/bare” spelling difference when I officiate weddings -- counseling the couple about how the word must be spelled in a successful marriage.”


So that’s the story of the two bears. But you know – I think in the last couple of sermons that I did – we bared and beared enough pain, so “enough said” about that phrase. Today – we are going to “share the laughter.”

I told my son John that I was going to attempt to focus on laughter today and he said – “Mama – how are you going to tell jokes in a UU church – any joke you tell about anything is going to be offensive to SOME one at a UU church.”

And I said --- “I’ll talk about myself and about Unitarian Universalists. That should be funny enough. And in any case – the main point is too laugh – whether anything funny is going on or not!”

Now you may not believe this – but it’s true, that the very ACT of laughing can heal you. I’m not going to share all this research with you – email me, or google it yourself. Instead, I’m going to demonstrate a little laughing yoga with you. We did this one time before here at church – but this is the kind of activity that you should do often, so if you were here before when we did this – be glad that you are here again. Here’s how you do laughing yoga. You just laugh. You don’t have to hear a funny story. You just laugh --- and you will begin to feel the healing. Now I will attempt to facilitate this by at least giving you some stimulation – and demonstrating various ways of laughing and encourage you to join me. Fortunately, laughter is rather catching, – like yawning, so glance around at your neighbors and share the laughter! So relax, shake your hands and let go of your inhibitions – and let’s warm up a little with this laughing yoga. Just repeat after me. (And if you are reading this --- please do these exercises out loud too)
Ha! / Ha, Ha, / etc.

Now, let’s remember back to the days when we were children – or if we can’t remember our own childhoods – we can at least remember seeing children and children laugh – and it’s especially joyful to watch a baby laugh.
Can you laugh like a baby? – just let yourself go, and try it.

Now let’s go to the other end – and laugh like a really old person – and old geezer laugh.

And how about the wicked witch laugh?

Now we need to stand as you are comfortable and take a deep breath, -- so that we can laugh like Santa Claus!

Now imagine someone is tickling you!

Ah, that’s invigorating!

I’ve always enjoyed laughing myself and facilitating laughter with others, too. Well – I say always. My mom says I wasn’t always an outgoing extravert. She says I was extremely shy as a young child. She attributes – or perhaps blames – my personality change on the fact that I was run over by a car when I was three and a half and suffered from a head injury. It did something to me, she said. And yes, since that time, if there is something I can’t do or do differently, she attributes it to that accident. Even now, her friends may say, “Christine – why in the world did Jane write that letter to the editor. How come she turned so liberal?” And Mama says – “well you know she was in that accident when she was 3 and a half.”

Maybe that is what happened to me. In any case, like many of you, I was blessed (or some may say cursed) with a questioning mind.

I’ve shared with you the story before of my dad standing in the “white’s only” line with me at the Dairy Queen when I was about 5. And I asked him why we were in that line and the colored people were in the other line. Well my dad says – “Well, you see Jane – we’re white. So we stand in this line and get vanilla ice cream. And the colored people stand in the other line and get chocolate ice cream.” -- Well you know – I was in that accident --- so I said – “Well, I want chocolate.” And my dad said, “No, you’re white – so you have to have vanilla. That’s just the way it is.” I’d like to think my dad was teaching me a lesson about acceptance of difficult situations – but in reality, I know he was trying to aggravate me – because he licked the curl off of my cone. What kind of dad licks the curl off his little girl’s cone. The same kind that says to her, “Jane, be ashamed – you’ve got ancestors, yes, you do, lots of them.” And when I’d protest, he’d say: “Go ask your mama.” Another one was: “Oh my goodness, Jane – just look at you, you’re covered with garments. You’ve got garments all over you.” And the worst was: “Mmm Mnnnn (wrinkling his nose) – you slumbered in the bed last night.” At least he improved my vocabulary.

And my curiosity and questioning led me to some other things as a child. I wondered what it looked like from the steeple of First Baptist Church. There were no steps. But, I heard that some boys had found out how the custodian got up there once a year to clean the windows and they were going to go. There was a panel in the ceiling of a room behind the baptistery – where they baptized you – at the other end of the sanctuary up on the top floor of the church. And to get to the steeple, you had to go through that panel and then cross over the whole sanctuary to the steeple. Now the attic over the sanctuary wasn’t floored – so you had to walk on a narrow catwalk -- -and they warned that if you fell through the sheetrock – you would fall to your death on the pews below, and wouldn’t that be a sight – so since I was a girl, I could not go with them. And I didn’t go with them…. I went with Jamie Sue, Maureen, and Aris. I also went up into the clock tower of the courthouse and stood behind the clock faces and saw the old big bell. Hey—it was Statesboro in the 1950’s and we had to entertain ourselves someway.

Now, I also became curious about the Bible. And when I was about 12 – I decided to really study it, not just the parts the Sunday school teachers taught us – but all of us. Have you folks read the Bible? If you haven’t – I’ll go ahead and tell you that the main character dies about ¾ of the way through it. So – I found some strange things in that book, things like a donkey that talked (and he spoke English in the Bible that I was reading), and gods that came down and had sex with women (oh god) – and then they gave birth to giants (OH GOD!). Strange stuff indeed. And not just in the Old Testament, in the New Testament there were folks that were dead and came alive – and not just the ones who had just died recently, like Jesus or Lazurus After the crucifixion of Jesus, it said that the graves opened up and the folks came out of them and walked around. Well, I undertook this study at about the time that young folks also begin to think a little more rationally. And it sure didn’t make sense to me. However, I closeted my doubts and disbeliefs enough to get along okay – then finally had the freedom in my late 40’s to come out and be free. And I became a Unitarian Universalist. Hallelujah!

Of course, some of my relatives were worried about me – and one asked, “But are UU’s saved? To which I responded, “We are not LOST – we’re exploring.” Of course that’s a UU joke. And although I’ve studied Unitarian, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists for many years now – I’ve found that there is much truth and understanding that can be found through the jokes made by them and about them. They are not all true – but they hold a glimmer of the truth that we can see in ourselves. So – especially for our new folks who are just learning about UU – I’m going to share some of those jokes and stories with you today.

First for our new folks – just what is this Unitarian – and Universalist – that became Unitarian Universalists? Well, these were originally two different denominations. Rev. Starr King provided a classic explanation of the two back in the 1800s when he said something like: “The difference between Universalists and Unitarians is that Universalists believe that God is too good to damn men, and Unitarians believe that Man is too good to be dammed.”

So – how does a Universalist make holy water? They boil the hell out of it.

As you may know, the Universalists were the ones who preached salvation for all and were therefore none as the “no hell” church. There are actually some little Universalist churches in the rural south – because they did send missionaries with this good news. There was one little town that just had two churches – a Baptist church and a Universalist church. And a visitor ask why two churches were needed in such a small town. A resident replied: That church says, “There ain’t no hell. The other church says, “The hell there ain’t.”

Now the Unitarians were the ones who believed in One God – more or less. The Unitarians were not so much interested in getting people into heaven as they were in getting heaven into people. Anyway – these churches evolved so much that when they decided to join together in 1961, they decided not to have any creed!

One visitor to a UU church asked, “What do you mean, it’s a creedless religion? That means you don’t believe in anything, right?”
“No,” replied the member, “that’s not what it means.”
“So what do you believe in?”
“Well, for one thing, we believe in creedless religion.”

We have to constantly correct folks on these kinds of misunderstandings. One fundamentalist Christian said to her UU neighbor, “I hear you UUs deny the divinity of Jesus Christ.”
The UU responded, “No that’s not true. We don’t deny the divinity of anybody.”

It’s true that we have a diversity of beliefs and ideas within Unitarian Universalism. And that’s okay with us. Like Francis David said, “we do not have to think alike to Love alike.” But it’s problematic for others. A person from one of the mainline churches Christian churches in Stateboro asked, “I hear that you have all sorts of weirdoes in your church, …Atheists, Buddhists, Pagans,….
To which I replied: “Oh yes, we even allow Christians – we’re very open minded.” (That’s a joke – didn’t happen, but I’ll be ready if it does.)

Now after finding Unitarian Universalism, many folks say – “Oh I was a Unitarian Universalist and didn’t even know it.” So maybe we need to put an ad in the paper to help folks find out if they are UUs… kind of like that Jeff Foxworthy fellow who helped folks understand whether or not they were rednecks.

For example,
If you are unsure about the gender of God,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you begin your prayers with “To whom it may concern,”
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you read ahead in the hymnal to see if you agree with the words before singing them:
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you gave up pot in the 70’s because no one could guarantee it was organic,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If the vanity plate on your hybrid car reads “Thoreau”
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
Likewise, if you name your child Walden,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If your teens rebel by becoming more conservative,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If when you dress for a formal evening out, you wear Birkenstocks,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you get Newt Gingrich confused with the Grinch who Stole Christmas,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you approach every subject with an open mouth,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you’ve ever been in an argument over whether or not breast milk is vegan,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If your children think the holy trinity is “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.

Yes, our children get a different view of things than those in more conservative religions.
The older neighbor, trying to be helpful, said to one of our little UU girls, “I know you’re sad, but right now your kitty cat is with Jesus.”
To which the child replied, “What would Jesus want with a dead cat?”

And you may have heard the one about the little kid trying to give the kittens away. On the first day, her sign by the box on the road said: “Adorable kittens – Free.” The next day, the child had her box in front of the Methodist Church saying, “Adorable Methodist kittens – Free.” Then she had it in front of the synagogue with a sign that said, “Adorable Jewish Kittens Free. “ And the following Sunday she had them in front of the UU church with a sign saying, “Adorable Unitarian Universalists Kittens. And the minister, questioning her advertising ethics asked her, “Why do you think I’ll believe that all these are UU kittens now, all of a sudden?” “Well,” said the child, “Now they have their eyes opened.”

And here’s a few more:
What do you get when you cross a UU with a Jehovah’s Witness? Somebody who knocks on your door but doesn’t know why she’s there.

Why is Jeapardy the favorite tv game show of UUs? Because you get to guess the QUESTIONS to the answers.

Why did the UU cross the road?
To support the chicken in its search for its own path.

How many UU does it take to screw in a light bulb? I have two answers – one provided by a mature adult UU who said:
“We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your journey, you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb. Present it next month at our annual Light Bulb Sunday Service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life, and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.”

And the other response was written by an eighteen year old boy in a rather unsupervised youth group in another city – who responded, “UU’s don’t screw in light bulbs – but check out the sleeping bags in the church basement.”

Okay – I probably went too far with that one, so I’m going to sing a song I found on the internet to make amends. Rebekah is going to help me with this one. You know I mentioned earlier that we are very differing beliefs here at UU. So Rebekah is going to sing the part of Ruby, a young energetic theist, and I are going to sing the part of Betty, a aging humanist.

Use recorded accompaniment of “You are sixteen, I am seventeen” from the Sound of Music.

(Jane Sings)
You are theist I am humanist
I think that you're naive
You have no proof to offer as truth,
You simply say "I believe"

New age bubbles get you in trouble
Lost in a feel-good fluff
True understanding is quite demanding
Praying is not enough.

Totally unprepared are you
To make a case that's plain
Maybe the incense, chants, and drums
Have ruined your poor brain.

You need someone older and wiser
Telling you what to do,
You are theist, I am humanist
I--will think--for you!

(Rebekah Sings)
I am theist, you are humanist
You're locked inside your head.
You're existential, self-referential
Claiming that God is dead,

Occam's razor, Pascal's wager
empty tautology
Wisdom, traditions, not erudition
Make much more sense to me.

Totally unprepared are you
To let go of your mind.
How 'bout a leap of faith, my friend
You might like what you find.

When you find that you're out of answers
You won't know what to do
I am theist, you are humanist,
I -- will pray -- for you.

Amen.

"A child is born, the old must die"

(Note to Reader: This sermon is the sixth in the Rev. Jane Page's “Let it be a Dance” series based on phrases from that popular song from our Unitarian Universalist hymnal.)

Ric Masten’s popular UU hymn “Let it be a Dance” includes the words – “A child is born, the old must die.” A perfect illustration of that is seen in those metaphorical figures Father Time and Baby New Year. When one year ends, we represent that as an old bearded man with a cane – waving good-bye, making his exit – so that Baby New Year can take over. And we understand that this is the way it has been from the beginning of time. Stars are born ----and eventually – they will burn out and die and their star dust gives life to something new. Similarly, new cells emerge in our bodies as others die – so it is with all of life. But we’ve evolved with reproduction and survival as strong, primary needs. And that can sometimes present problems.

All of this leads me to what I suppose is a statement of the main message of this sermon – and it’s one that may be somewhat controversial. Some of you may agree with this message and others may not. And that’s okay – because we are Unitarian Universalists and as the Unitarian martyr Francis David said, “We do not have to think alike to love alike.”

So here it is:

Human beings must stop having so many babies and stop the insanity of prolonging life no matter what.

Fortunately, much of the world has caught on to the idea of limiting births. But we are not there yet. Here’s a quote from a December 2010 report published by the population institute.

“Currently some 6.8 billion people inhabit the Earth. Scientists estimate that by 2050 that number will rise to 9 billion before leveling out. Environmentalists say that overpopulation is leading to worsening climate change, unsustainable resource use, mass extinction, deforestation, pollution, and food and water shortages.”

Now of course, you can also find information on the internet which says that we don’t have to worry – that if we just use more nuclear energy, etc., everything will be all right and that our earth CAN support a population of up to 15 billion. But that’s just one retired scientist with a blog – and frankly, although he *could* be right, I don’t see us moving in that direction anyway, and I’d prefer to err on the side of those hoping for population limits – just in case.

One big problem we face is feeding people.
According to a recent International Food Policy Research Institute report:
The challenge of reaching sustainable food security and delivering on it through 2050 is daunting. Our starting point, in 2010, is a world with unacceptable levels of poverty and deprivation, as is clear from the 2010 report on the Millennium Development Goals. Progress will be made more difficult by two looming challenges: a growing world population and increasingly negative productivity effects from climate change.
(Food Security, Farming, and Climate Change:  Scenarios, Results, and Policy Options)
While food production kept pace with, and at times exceeded, population growth in the last century, satisfying the world’s demand for food is getting tougher and tougher. The report warns that higher food prices are here to stay and they provide some specific data to back this up. Now, of course, this analysis and these predictions by this research institute could be wrong. The experts have a lot of difficulty predicting things like this. This was noted by the Population Institute in their December 2010 report.
Ten years ago, many experts were confident that we could, by 2015, reduce the number of chronically hungry people in the world by half, but last year the number of hungry people in the world crossed the one billion mark for the first time in history.  Four years ago, virtually no one was predicting that the prices of corn and wheat would double in the next two years, and that rice prices would triple, but they did. In June of this year, with ample food reserves, no one was anticipating that wheat and corn prices would jump by 50 percent or more in the next four months, but they did.

Another huge problem with population growth is clean water and air. While some Green organizations like “Friends of the Earth” and “Greenpeace” steer away from the population factor because it is controversial, the Sierra Club makes no bones about their stance on this. They provide some pretty heavy data about this and then state:

"All of our environmental successes may be short-lived if they do not include efforts to address population growth."

So – what can we do?

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that it would cost just $3.6 billion a year more to provide family planning services to the estimated 215 million women in the world who want to avoid a pregnancy, but who are not using a modern method of birth control. So making more efforts to fund that (rather than wars) would be a start.

And of course, we ourselves need to continue, I believe, limiting births here in the United States. Then perhaps we wouldn’t be so concerned about folks immigrating here. Now you say – but we Americans are not the ones having way too many babies. Perhaps not – but our babies are the ones who grow up to use up way too many of the world’s resources leaving huge carbon footprints. And if we are not going to do a better job with pre-natal care, then our babies are going to be having lots of difficulties too.

Another reason I’m bringing this up is my concern of our glorification on television of returning to large families. Reality shows like “Kate plus Eight” and “Nineteen and Counting” – make big stars out of large families. And shows like “16 and Pregnant” -- while showing some of the difficulties of young pregnancy – also tend to make it seem like others CAN make it and be happy – so, you don’t have to worry too much about abstaining or using birth control. (And yes, I’ve seen all of these shows once or twice – which is MORE than enough.)

Of course¸ I have lots of difficulties with the way China has implemented its limitation policy, But, I’m certainly understandable of the need to do something. Now I recently stated the idea to a family member that we ought to limit births – even in the United States. And she AGREED – but added – unless you can afford a large family. So – her idea (and probably many folks would agree) is that if you are poor – you should have these limits placed on you, but if you are rich – you can have all the children you want because you don’t have to have food stamps, etc. I politely disagreed with her – because the rich family still has all their kids – and then the multiplied grandkids, etc. using our highways, polluting our air, needing our public services, etc. They ARE a cost to our society. And, it would only be FAIR to limit everyone.

Now I know that this is an extreme position and will probably NOT happen. But, we could at least have INCENTIVES for limiting births or undergoing sterilization procedures after having the babies you want – hopefully just a couple. At the very least, sterilization should be FREE and easy to access.

I knew after I had two children that two was enough for me. And I would like to be able to tell you that it was because of all these concerns I’m lifting up today. But basically – it was because I knew of my own limitations. Well, I had a hard time finding a doctor who would do my tubal ligation – simply because I was in my twenties. And some of my family members gave me a hard time. My grandmamma told me that I might change my mind and want more – or that something might happen to one of mine – then I’d want another. I don’t think so!! And then there were those who asked, “But, don’t you want a little girl?” “Well, yeah – but I’m not going to keep having boys till I get one!” This was back in the70’s – but you hear the same kinds of things today.

SO --- While I love that we have these wonderful children here – and I love my grandsons – and enjoy rocking all your babies, I’m just sayin….. You know? Let’s begin to lift up the goodness and value of limiting childbirths – instead of heralding the family with 19 children.

So a Child is born – hallelujah! And what is that other part of Masten’s phrase? “The old must die.” Now I know I need to be careful with this. There are those here who may be dealing with terminal illnesses with family members or even yourself. And all end-of-life discussions can be painful. So, I need for you to know that it is not my intention to stimulate any frustration or anxiety for you related to this subject. But I sort of made a pact with the Divine within me – that I would follow through with these topics that I listed from Masten’s song this year – and see where they led me. And this particular phrase leads me… to lift up our need to let go of life – for our loved ones and ourselves. Now I know this may be easy for ME to say now – standing up here relatively healthy. And I may well change my mind when I feel death closing in on me. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if I didn’t feel differently since we are SO programmed to survive. But I surely hope that I can be like the Rev. Forrest Church who died in September 2009, – and be content with my death. If you were here in 2008, you may remember the sermon I did based on his book on “Love and Death.” It’s online if you missed it. Here are a couple of quotes from Forrest Church that I especially like.

1st,
"The one thing that can never be taken from us, even by death, is the love we give away before we die."
And 2nd,
"The purpose of life is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for."

I believe it is necessary for us to start educating ourselves and others to think in these terms of accepting and embracing death– rather than grasping at the idea of finding any way possible to stay alive.

About a week ago, I saw part of a documentary on CNN called, “Cheating Death.” And it was about a special group of folks who had died with heart attacks -- -but who had been brought back to life. One of the folks they interviewed was in a situation where her heart had stopped for 56 minutes – with people continually trying to bring her back with the defibrillator at her work site and then with shocking her heart in the hospital emergency room. The emergency room doctor said, “We’ll try three more times.” Then the next one worked. And this woman seemed to be fine. But she was certainly the exception – in that MOST people doctors brought back after that length of time would have severe brain damage. Yet that doctor kept trying? Why? And another doctor said that even though he eventually quits, he thinks – “you know, ten years from now, I probably could have saved him.” What is this emphasis on keeping folks alive – even at the extreme risk of brain damage? Sange Gupta asked the woman what message she would give folks from her experience, and she said, “Never give up. Never, never give up.” Really?

Maybe part of the problem is with our vocabulary around death and the end of life. We don’t like to “give up.” We’re Americans. We’re in a battle with death and we have to WIN. And I do understand the need to have a positive view of outcomes when you are treating disease. But, if we are viewing death as an enemy – then yes, of course we are not supposed to give up. But death is not my enemy. Hopefully she will be my last good friend. My bff.

I am so glad that many folks are now completing advanced directives and living wills and accepting hospice care – where health care professionals provide services that address the symptoms of end of life issues and provide comfort – rather than trying to cure you. My dad was under hospice care when he died, and I’m very grateful. But he should have been under their care a whole lot earlier. I mean – the doctors were still going to some pretty unusual lengths to keep his heart working as well as possible -- even after he had advanced Alzheimer’s. I think my mom would have opted for hospice for my dad earlier – but it wasn’t brought up as an option by the doctors. And my mom basically followed the direction of the doctor. Finally, after they had to switch doctors because my dad’s primary physician moved, the new doctor asked my mom, “What are your goals for your husband? What are you hoping for? “She responded – “I’d just like him to be as comfortable as he can.” And the doctor said, “Then you need to consider hospice care,” – and explained it to her. Now my mom KNEW something about hospice – but I think she would have felt guilty bringing it up herself. She NEEDED for a doctor to initiate these end of life issues with her. And that is why I was so glad to hear that the “end-of life counseling” part of Obama’s original health care plan (referred to by Sarah Palin as “death panels”) had been re-established by the administration’s new ground rules for annual Medicare check-ups. WAIT --- HOLD THE PRESSES! While I was working on this sermon Wednesday night – that changed. I went on the web to check my facts – and low and behold I read the following that had just been posted to the Washington Times page:

“Reversing a politically delicate decision, the Obama administration will drop references to so-called "end-of-life" counseling from the ground rules for Medicare’s new annual checkup, the White House said Wednesday.”

Arrrrgh!
I’ve decided not to share the words that actually came out of my mouth at that time.

Now please know – I have no problem with the idea that people are trying to be healthy – and that coupled with good medical practices means that people ARE living longer. I delight in being around folks like my 91 year old friend, Roxie Remley – who still drives herself to plays and art exhibits, and enjoys traveling and producing new art work. How wonderful! And thankfully Roxie retired under Georgia’s Teachers Retirement System – so she’s going to get her check each month. But a new problem we are facing with living longer now – and this is a special concern with all of those in my generation – is that you will outlive the money you may have been planning on using for your retirement years. And that the current entitlements that older folks depend on – may not be there for you. So – if we are going to continue to encourage this idea that medical science find ways to help folks live on and on and on, we are going to need to address the question of where those supportive resources are going to come from. I don’t have answers to this – I’m just saying, we can’t have our cake and eat it too.

But living long, healthy, lives is not my primary concern – it’s living long lives with lots of pain and struggle and great sorrow for both you and your family members.

Now while, I’m sticking my neck out, I’ll go ahead and put it right on the chopping block for some of you and say: I am totally supportive of not only of assisted suicide, but also of euthanasia when the individual is not capable of carrying this out themselves, but has expressed this possibility in a legal document or to their power of attorney, if they even have those capabilities. Oregon now has legal assisted suicide using prescribed medication for that purpose. But my understanding from reading up on this is that it sometimes takes as long as 11 hours to die after you take this prescribed medication. What’s up with that? I KNOW it can be done quickly in the right way. I’ve witnessed that – and so have some of you. I had the experience of being with my son John and his dog, Welcome, at her last visit to the veterinarian. And some of you may have read my October newsletter article or blog about this. It included these recollections:

John and I shared our love with Welcome as the doctor administered the sacred, wondrous medication that would take her so gently and quickly away. And I sang one of our favorite UU songs: “Go now in peace, go now in peace. May the spirit of love surround you, everywhere, everywhere, you may go.” And she was gone.

And my last statement in that article was this:

I am so very grateful that we were able to allow Welcome to have this welcome relief and not suffer anymore. Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be as humane with our human family members? May it one day be so!

Ric Masten said: “A child is born, the old must die.” Similarly, in days of old, the teacher from Ecclesiastes reminded his students of these inevitabilities. He wrote: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven! “ -- Then listed the possibilities, and the first thing listed was ….

“A time to be born, and a time to die.”

And what about between those two sacred moments?
(Sing)
Let it be a dance we do, May I have this dance with you,
In the good times and the bad times too,
Let it be a dance!

AMEN and BLESSED BE.

The Value of Truth Telling

MINISTERIAL MUUSINGS

She raised her hand and said¸“I don’t have a question, but I do have a comment.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “I’m listening.” I had just finished speaking to a doctoral class for about 40 minutes on the piece I had titled: “White in America: Can I Get a Witness?” The Georgia Southern class on “Ethics and Diversity” was being taught in Savannah to doctoral students in an educational leadership program. Their professor invited me to come speak after hearing her husband share about a conversation we had at a social gathering. And, although I’ve pretty much taken my professor hat off for good, I was happy to share on this topic. This class had 12 African American students and four white students. And the person who had raised her hand was a middle aged African American woman. She paused before going on, as if trying to think about the best way to make the comment. And I breathed deeply and waited for whatever she had to say. Then it came….

“I have never heard a white person talk like you have just talked. I mean, I never have heard white people really tell the truth about themselves and about race like that before.” Others nearby shook their heads in agreement.

“Well,” I said, “I’m very sorry. It’s taken most of us a while to even tell ourselves the truth.”

Then we went on to other questions. One white student made a point of sharing that her experiences were very different than mine, since the schools integrated before she started school – and she had not experienced the Jim Crow era. It was as if, in some ways, she was letting herself off the hook. I let her slip off gently – and just said, “Well, yes, your experiences have been different, but we still have much to work on.”

The discussion turned to efforts to make a difference, including the recent decision by congress to compensate black farmers pursuant to a decade-old settlement with the United States government. The case addressed allegations that the farmers were unjustly denied benefits by the Department of Agriculture.  The Claims Settlement Act of 2010 will fund the agreements reached in the Pigford II lawsuit in the amount of $1.15 billion. The bill also includes a $3.4 billion fund to settle charges from the Cobell lawsuit brought by Native Americans claiming that the government mishandled money from the Native American Land Trust. I also shared a bit of information with them from my economist husband’s article on “The Cost of Being Black.”

Then I said, “But it’s not all about money. Money means something, but it’s about much, much more.” I looked at the woman with the initial comment and walked up to her desk and said. “I bet if I gave you a $100 dollar bill tonight, you could put that to good use and would like to have it.”

She smiled coyly and replied, “Oh yes.”

Then I said, “But I’m also willing to bet that what you heard me share earlier tonight was worth more than that.”

And she smiled broadly and said, “Oh YES! That was PRICELESS!”

“Yes, Priceless,” chimed in the student sitting by her.

Now that’s not because I delivered a great or entertaining speech. It was simply because I shared the truth. I shared the truth about my upbringing, my deep prejudices, my fears, my struggle to overcome these difficulties, and my continuing struggles as I strive to contribute what I can to help others who are committed to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism.

My time was up. The professor gave me a thank-you note as I left the class. Before I turned on my car, I opened the note. It included a $50 honorarium. When I returned home, I emailed the professor, thanking her for the honorarium and sharing that it would be put to good use helping others via our emergency relief fund. Indeed, that money would be helpful, but her invitation and the experiences we all shared that evening provided an awesome experience for me too. Oh yes, money helps – but the value of truth telling, it is priceless, indeed!

I am currently reading a book entitled, The Arc of the Universe is Long: Unitarian Universalists, Anti-Racism and the Journey from Calgary by Leslie Takahasi Morris, Chip Roush, and our own Leon Spencer. It is a very comprehensive examination of what we have been through as an association, with some historical summation of efforts prior to the 1992 General Assembly resolution related to anti-racism, and a very thorough examination of what we’ve been through since that time. (I will share more about this perhaps in a workshop format this summer.) Some of the passages are painful to read. Sometimes the truth hurts. But then, it is also what sets us free.

We will celebrate that struggle and that freedom as we march with others in the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade on January 17. Some may say that marches don’t mean anything. And I certainly agree if that is all we do. But marching should serve as a reminder to us and to others that we have not forgotten King’s dream, and that we are willing to march in the light of truth as we work for justice. The title of the book I’m reading comes from a quote that you may have heard attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. King's often repeated expression that "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" was his own succinct summation of sentiments echoing those of Unitarian minister Theodore Parker, who, in "Of Justice and the Conscience" (1853) asserted: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice."

In April of 2008 on the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, then candidate Barak Obama said, “Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. It bends towards justice, but here is the thing: (and this is crucially important) it does not bend on its own. It bends because each of us in our own ways put our hands on that arc and we bend it in the direction of justice….” Will we folks at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro put our hands on this arc? I challenge you to join us as we do this work. You might begin with just marching, marching “on the side of LOVE” – moving with us through the streets of Statesboro as we unite with others hoping to make this world a better place. The chairperson for our MLK parade entry is Greg Brock. You may contact him or me (for I have his ear) for suggestions and information.

And may your new year be filled with peace, love, joy, and that priceless truth that sets us all free!

Standing on the Side of Love!
Jane

Without the Dark, There is No Light

In Ric Masten’s song “Let it be a dance” that we sang for our gathering song, you heard these words, “Without the dark, there is no light.” My original intention was to highlight the holidays from various cultures that occur during this time period which emphasize light – and the return of the light. But the light is not what Masten is lifting up here. He’s lifting up the darkness. And I’m trying to lift that up in my own mind too. And in doing so, another song came to my mind.

(Let me get my air guitar.)

(Sing) I woke up this morning – had them Statesboro Blues,
Yeah, I woke up this morning – had them Statesboro Blues,
Looked over in the corner – grandpa and grandma – they had’em too.

Blind Willie McTell – from Thomson Georgia – a traveling blues singer, declared after being rejected by some Statesboro woman, that he was putting on his traveling shoes, cause he had them Statesboro Blues. And the song was later popularized by the Allman Brothers.

Since the Allman Brothers put Statesboro on their fans map, I’ve been bothered by the implications of that song. It’s not good to be from a town that is best known by some for giving you the Blues. But if you listen to the song, it’s not the location that is Blind Willie’s problem. And Statesboro not my problem either. This town is not what gets me down. But I do find that when December rolls around, I often sing the Blues.

The days get short,
The nights get long,
My heart gets to hurtin’
And I sing a sad song.

December is not my favorite month. And the Christmas Season doesn’t bring the joy with it that I’m supposed to feel. I think that’s part of the problem – that it is supposed to be the season of joy and happiness – and when you have difficulties, when you or a family member is sick or hurting from physical problems, financial problems, or mental, emotional, or spiritual problems -- that is juxtaposed against all that shiny tinsel and glitter of the season --- and it’s hard to reconcile.

And I’ve found that I’m not the only one who gets a little sad at this time of year. In fact there’s a special diagnosis that goes with the blue feeling that some folks get in the wintertime. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder – or SAD for short. So I decided, rather than talk about the holidays today – because you’ll get plenty of that… I wanted to address something that many of us face at some times in our lives ---- depression, sadness, the dark times, the blues.

Now I’m one of the lucky ones in that I’m fortunate not to have a kind of clinical depression which is not a seasonal disorder – but a chronic illness. And my blue Christmas feeling is probably more related to extremely difficult events that have occurred in my life on or near Christmas. So mine may not even be diagnosed as SAD – which may bemore related to the diminishing sunlight. But I did attempt to find out a little more about this diagnosis – which may affect some of you as well.

SAD was first formally described and named in 1984 by Norman E. Rosenthal and colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health. It’s described as “a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, spring, or autumn, repeatedly, year after year.” Now in the Diasgnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (also known as the DSM-IV), SAD is not a unique mood disorder, but is “a specifier of major depression.” So there is some disagreement about this disorder – and some folks are still skeptics. However studies now estimate that its prevalence in the adult population of the US ranges from 1.4 percent in Florida to almost 10% of the population in New Hampshire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder)
I suppose that’s a good reason to appreciate living in Statesboro.

Subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder is a milder form of SAD experienced by an estimated 14.3% of the U.S. population. And according to the experts cited in one of the articles I read, the blue feeling experienced by both SAD and SSAD sufferers can usually be dampened or extinguished by exercise and increased outdoor activity, particularly on sunny days, resulting in increased solar exposure. And I personally can vouch for that! In any case, connections between human mood, as well as energy levels, and the seasons are well documented, even in healthy individuals.

And if those things don’t work, there are other forms of therapy – especially in the climates where there is little natural light – including light therapy, medication, inonized-air administration, cognitive-behavioral therapy and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin.

There are those among us, however, who have a more chronic kind of depression, and I’m familiar with this as well – having family members who suffer. And you know, most of us don’t realize what folks are going through in their lives. We look at some folks and they seem to have it all together. But my reading and my experiences tell me a different story. The Rev. Barbara Meyers is a Unitarian Universalist community minister and the creator of “Mental Health Matters,” a public access TV show focusing on mental health issues in her community. Her story is included in one of our issues of UU World. Meyers is a regular speaker in churches and at community forums. Her involvement with mental health was stimulated by her own struggles with depression. She does an interesting thing when she speaks to congregations. She says: “First I tell my own story. And then I ask people to stand up if they or someone they love is living with mental illness. Invariably 80 to 100 percent of people stand up.”

“The theological basis for Meyers’s ministry starts with her belief in Unitarian Universalism’s First Principle about the inherent worth and dignity of all people. Her role model is Dorothea Dix, a Unitarian mental health reformer in the 1800s. ‘Most of what she did was to live out her religion in the world. That’s what I hope I’m doing,’ Meyers says.” And isn’t that what you and I want as well.

To those who don’t think their congregations have people with mental health issues, Meyer’s says, “Our congregations are full of these people. Many times they’re sitting there suffering in silence because they’re not sure if they’re welcome. When I ask people to stand up it’s a tremendously powerful message for those who are suffering silently.”

Well, I’m not going to ask you to stand up today if you or someone you love has suffered from depression. But I do not doubt that most of you here could respond in the affirmative to a question like that. One reason I’m pretty confident that we have lots of folks who have suffered from depression here is because our congregation has so many wondrously creative, talented people – and those gifts are often accompanied by possibilities for depression. And you are in good company --- or some may say talented company. Here are a few of the well-known folks who have spoken candidly about their struggles with depression: Adam Duritz (lead singer for Counting Crows), Ashley Judd, Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins), Billy Joel, Boris Yeltsin, Brooke Shields, Delta Burke, Princess Diana, Drew Carey, Emma Thompson, Harrison Ford, Heath Ledger, Hugh Laurie (that’s House), J.K. Rowling, Jeffrey Sebelia (from Project Runway), Jim Carey, John Denver, Marie Osburn, Mike Wallace, Olivia Newton John, Owen Wilson, Rodney Dangerfield, Rose O-Donnell, Sheryl Crow, Terry Bradshaw, and Thomas Eagleton – who you may remember left the Democratic ticket as McGovern’s VP nominee after revealing that he had suffered and been treated for depression. These are some of the folks that have been more open about it on talk show, in books and articles, etc. – but of course, there are many, many others.

Often when folks go through a difficult time, they emerge stronger and better able to face the future. One excellent example is President Abraham Lincoln. A recent [Houghton Mifflin, 2005] book by writer Joshua Wolf Shenk is entitled Lincoln's Melancholy - How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness.

“The sub-title of the book tells it all. Lincoln had throughout his life bouts of depression. He learned how to handle them with a variety of coping strategies, among them writing, especially writing poetry, and by reading poetry and the Bible and by storytelling, especially telling funny stories.” (http://www.mpuuc.org/services/Letting%20Go.html)

And many mental health professionals offer us great encouragement. They tell us that depression can be managed, if not cured, by medication and therapy. Sometimes it takes a while to find what works best for each person. There is no perfect recipe. Now some folks, like the Scientologists, are totally opposed to medication for mental conditions. I certainly do not agree with them. However, I do agree with William Finger, author of “The Healing Power of Community” in a 1999 UU World magazine article.

Finger states: “One blessing of our era is the pharmacological revolution, allowing medications to pinpoint brain chemistry, including the serotonin re-uptake process. But with this blessing comes a narrow view of healing.

“Medication can help manage symptoms and provide new energy. Therapy can offer a safe place for talking, grieving, healing, and developing hidden sides of one’s personality. But we need more if what we’re looking for is long-term transformation and behavior change. Depression can be like an old shoe, a familiar place to go during times of stress, life transitions, a particular time of the year, a family dynamic triggered in parenting, empty weekends, Sunday nights facing a new week. 

“The support of a community can help people recovering from depression to avoid falling back into old behavior patterns.” Finger then describes communities that have helped him, including his UU congregation.

I also wonder if some of us don’t run for the feel better pill a little too quickly. Now I’m especially talking to folks who may not have a really severe, critical situation. Sometimes we need to just be a little more comfortable with sadness.

Several years ago, I had my first trip to Womenspirit at the Mountain. And Pauline DeLaar encouraged me to go on the Trust Walk they were having. Now up in these Mountains – there are no street lights. It is truly dark. And we got into vans that took us to an area where we were going to walk down into a gorge – and eventually end up behind a water fall – and we were to just make our way by holding the hand of the person in front of us – with the all-knowing guide in front. She shared with us that after a while, our eyes would adjust to the dark – and we would be able to see well enough to find our way. And you know – she was right. It took a while of groping around at first – but my eyes did adjust – and I could see well enough that I felt more secure, especially knowing others were around.

I share this story, of course, to say that when the darkness of the blues falls on me, I don’t immediately look for the flashlight of a pill. I wait for my eyes to adjust – and I can usually see. I recognize it – call it by name – say-“Hey – there you are again. I was wondering when you would show up.” And I invite depression in like a good neighbor would do. But depression is a temporary visitor – at least for me, not a permanent house guest. I suppose if I did have chronic depression though – I would try to fix-up a room for her and hope that she would spend most of her time there and not take over the house.

When the blues come to call – I think also of Ric Masten, the fellow that wrote the song “Let it be a Dance” that I’m using for the themes for my sermons this year. I think of Ric– dancing with Life. And Ric himself suffered with bouts of depression during his illness. And¸ he would dance with despair. And the despair danced into his poetry, sometimes with great weight and sometimes lightly. But when the weight was too great, Ric (like William Finger) turned to others. Listen to his poem entitled:

Elephants

Upon diagnosis I was informed
I was “inoperable, incurable, terminal”
Blunt lumbering thoughts
Immense as elephants
And “Don’t go there!”
Is like being told not to think about elephants
While lying among them trying to sleep

So like the five blind men
Describing an elephant
“a tree, a rope, a kite, a spear, a hose”
Just so
I ran my shocked and frightened mind
Along the big “C” beast
To understand what I was feeling
Gleason, PSA, neuroendocrine,
Carcinoma, palliative
Mysterious aspects of the monstrous thing

The Prostate Cancer Self-Help Group
Meets the first Wednesday of the month
And why I didn’t go at first who knows
I only know that till
I dragged my butt through that door
And joined my compatriots
I was utterly alone
And it was elephants elephants elephants
Elephants
Night after night all night long

I must say it seems absurd
That it took so long to learn
About strength in numbers
And in gathering together
The elephant herds are driven away

And so I too will dance this year with my sadness for a bit. But it can’t have the whole dance card. And that is one reason I come here to UU – so that I can dance with you too – and we can share our joys and concerns, our hopes and dreams, our despair and our care and listen and commune with one another and welcome JOY into our lives together.

One of the so-called seven deadly sins is sloth. And I used to just think of this as laziness. But the way it’s used in the Bible is to refer to a lack of zeal in accepting the joy of the spirit. Now if we think of sin in it’s literal meaning of “missing the mark” – when we are not open to that JOY and healing spirit that is present among us, when we do not avail ourselves to it, then we are missing the mark – and our souls are sick and hurting.

When my spirit is really low – I think, I don’t know if I have enough left for even one day. But I remember the miracle of Chanukah, and commit myself to persevere, and watch the light burning that day, the next day, and the next, and the next, till I come to UU on Sunday morning or other times to refill my soul with the oil of gladness! This place is my Gilead, my community of healing, the source of that precious oil.

(Sing) “Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain,
But then that Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.”

May it be so, this day, this season for us all.
Amen and Blessed Be

A Gift for You!

MINISTERIAL MUUSINGS
Rev. Jane Page

Here’s something about me that you may not know. I do not like to shop. In fact, I dread shopping. I admit that part of the reason that I don’t like to shop is that I don’t like to spend money. Although I’m a generous person – and don’t mind giving money, when it comes to shopping, I’m “frugal,” a characteristic inherited from my mom. And, even if someone GIVES me the money – or a gift certificate, I do not like to shop. So I avoid it if I can. Greg does the grocery shopping at our house, so I don’t even have to decide which detergent is the best for us.

Now this shopophobia that I have may be seen as a blessing, I suppose, by those who have to take out a second mortgage after a trip to the mall. But during this season of the year, it’s an extreme disadvantage. I know I should be making lists and looking online and in stores for that perfect gift for everyone. Sorry, it’s not going to happen. Yesterday was my mom’s 84th birthday, and I thought, “I really should give her a gift I suppose.” So I looked around the kitchen and picked up the fall centerpiece that I had purchased for our “Day of the Dead” celebration and took that to her. Shame on me! (And worse yet, I’ll probably “borrow” it back for our Thanksgiving meal.)

Now I really do appreciate that some folks are SO good at shopping. But it’s too hard for me – so I follow my dad’s example. He didn’t care to buy gifts either. But his gifts were always the right color – green. I’ll probably share some of that green stuff this holiday season with my family members. I know that this is the easy way out. Sorry, the agony of trying to find the right gift is just too frustrating. However, I do enjoy giving words of gratitude and love.

So here’s my gift for each of you for the holidays. It’s a little blessing.

May you sleep well, at least now and again.
May you also eat well – chocolate’s no sin.
May you share smiles with others, even if they frown.
May you get some smiles too, when you are down.
May you see lots of beauty every day.
May your heart be touched by a story or play.
May your troubles not be as bad as they seem.
May you grin in your sleep from a happy dream.
And when we’re together or when we’re apart,
May my love for you stay warm in your heart.

Hope this season is blessed with goodness for you and yours!
Jane

Everybody Turn and Spin

(This is the fifth sermon in the "Let it be a Dance" series based on phrases from Ric Masten's popular song in our hymnal.)


In his song “Let it be a dance,” Ric Masten says…”Everybody Turn and Spin.”

In my interpretive dance this morning, the turning represented reasoned thoughts and actions while the spinning represented those connected with passion. Of course the dance is only beautiful and sustainable when both are present with the dancer. Gibran’s metaphorical prose provides another picture of this idea with the use of a ship’s rudder and sail. And though most of us would agree in the value of both reason and passion working and dancing in harmony together, these concepts are more often portrayed as enemy spirits – in a warfare for our souls.

This is prevalent even in the earliest Creation Stories. Adam and Eve certainly understood cause and effect, yet – of course – this passion fruit proved to be their (and some say our) downfall. On a side note --- those opposing marriage for gays and lesbians, often note – “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” One could reply – “So the downfall of mankind was caused by a heterosexual couple!”

Other ancient stories from the Bible and Koran magnify this continuous struggle. Here we see David struggling to keep his passions in toe. He fails, of course.

Ancient Greek playwrights also use these concepts in their dramas and comedies.
"In his plays The Bacchae and Medea, Greek playwright Euripides expresses his views quite clearly on the relationship between reason and passion in human life. Euripides believes that there is a constant struggle between the two elements, and people must be able to find the proper balance in order to exist peacefully, something his characters were unable to do. He expresses, via his characters, his belief that passion dominates this struggle in most cases, and when this occurs, proper logic is skewed. The lead role in each of these plays failed to find the proper balance of passion and reason, and in failure found death."
http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/35599.html

And the list of stories and dramas could go on and on, of course, including our the Chicken Little story you saw with the children. Here are just a few of the more famous quote regarding reason and passion.

"The law is reason free from passion"
Aristotle

"Reason is God’s crowning gift to man."
Sophocles

"Reason should direct and appetite obey."
"He only employs his passion who can make no use of his reason."
Cicero

"We arrive at truth, not by reason only, but also by the heart."
Blaise Pascal

"Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."
Thomas Jefferson

"Faith…must be enforced by reason…when faith becomes blind it dies."
Mohandas Gandhi

"I reject any religious doctrine that does not appeal to reason and is in conflict with morality."
Mohandas Gandhi

"The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual’s own reason and critical analysis."
Dala Lama

"Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination."
Immanual Kant

"Mankind is governed more by feelings that by reason."
Samuel Adams

"Reason obeys itself, and ignorance does whatever is dictated to it."
Thomas Paine

"The madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason."
G.K. Chesterton

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins."
Benjamin Franklin

And of course – one should not discuss the topic of reason without mentioning John Locke. So – “John Locke.”

And there are many women – including my hero – Elizabeth Cady Stanton – who were lovers of reason and many others as well who were lovers of passion – but enough of this Who’s Who! What about us!

Many of us were attracted to Unitarian Universalism because we didn’t have to leave our brains at the door. We lift up our 4th UU principle which says that our congregations affirm “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”

And we are especially glad that following is listed among the six sources for our faith is this statement:
“Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.”

YET – most of us want to gain more from our faith than knowledge and understanding – and we bring our whole selves into this faith – not just our reasoning.

We affirm with our Children each Sunday morning that “We are Unitarian Universalists: People of Open Minds, Loving Hearts, and Helping Hands.”

Although folks have noted this tension since ancient times, we now have the technology to actually see a little more about how this works – because we can monitor brain activity related to decision making. And what we are seeing is that folks may believe they have totally based decisions on logic – but indeed, they are using that “gut” aspect of thinking – then sometimes rationalizing to match it – or sometimes rejecting it based on more logical thinking.

According to Daniel Gardner, author of The Science of Fear,
“People process information primarily through two mental modes, or channels, that operate in parallel. The first mode of information processing occurs primarily on the subconscious level; the second, at the conscious level…. Gardner…refers to these two modes as Gut and Head, respectively.

"Gut processing is sophisticated, intuitive, and quick. Head processing, on the other hand, is analytical, slow, and rational. Each mode of mental processing has strengths and weaknesses, and each plays a distinct role in decision making.

"Gut makes decisions quickly. But Head can monitor Gut’s decisions and overrule them when necessary. According to Gardner, “Gut decides, Head reviews: This process is how most of our thoughts and decisions are made.” Essentially, we are of two minds, each of which works semi-independently of the other.

"What makes the interaction between Gut and Head so interesting is that, sometimes, Head doesn’t bother to monitor Gut. Sometimes, Head doesn’t step in at all. When this happens, decision making occurs automatically, under the radar of our conscious attention.

"So, although Gut enables an efficient way of navigating a complex world, it can also lead us astray. The challenge is that Head can’t look inside Gut to figure out how or why Gut operates the way it does. Our subconscious is much like a black box with no access doors. It’s strictly off limits to the conscious mind. All Head can do is monitor and override Gut; it can’t change or negate the influence of Gut.”
http://uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/11/decision-architecture-helping-users-make-better-decisions.php

My gut tells me it’s time to get to the “So What” of this message. Well, there are lots of possible responses to the “So What” question – but I’m just going to concentrate on the “So What” for today.

At 11:45 today, our congregation will have our Annual Meeting. We will be asking you as members to consider and vote on some important recommendations from our board, finance committee, and nominating committee. Now – I am not ON the board, finance committee, or nominating committee, but I have observed them operate. And I can assure you that these recommendations are ones that incorporated reason and passion. These heads you see here have been hard at work --- envisioning, deliberating, imagining, calculating, gut-checking, exploring, analyzing, critiquing, engaging, and even a little dreaming.

At 11:45 today, they will share with you a record budget proposal based on a record canvass event – and they will share with you their visions for this wonderful congregation for the 2011. The nominating committee will also share a slate of officers for your consideration – folks who have generously agreed for their names to be put forward – with I’m sure much passion and reason going into that decision.

These are not easy times for many folks. We struggle in many ways. But I am so thankful that we have a congregation that recognizes the value of this fellowship and of Unitarian Universalism for themselves, their families and this community and stands on the side of Love.

May we be bold as we move into the future, balancing both passion and reason as we dance together.

(sing)
"Let it be a dance we do,
May I have this dance with you,
In the good times and the bad times too,
Let it be a dance!"