Creating
Community Out of Disaster:Contribution:
The Chrysalis Group, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley YRUU group, like the rest of the nation and the world, spent the better part of last Sunday morning reflecting, praying, meditating, and creating the following statement/prayer regarding the tragic events of the past week:We started our Chrysalis Youth Group meeting Sunday September 16, 2001 by talking about the tragedies of last week and reflecting on what they have meant to us. We feel helpless, sad, angry, and upset.
We have a member of our group in Europe and wonder when she will be home. We have family members - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends in New York who are scared but safe. We have relatives and friends of Arab descent and the discrimination against them because of who they are must stop. We want to end the hate and the violence and the harassment. We have many draft age friends and we do not want them to be killed in a war.
We also feel lucky and happy to be alive. It was a big relief to hear from friends and family although we know not everyone was so lucky. We have a lot to be thankful for.
Here is what we plan to do:
A. Take up a youth collection and send it to the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee to support the Unitarian-Universalist Association's "New
York City Humanitarian Relief Fund".B. Write letters and emails of support to UU Churches in New York City and to the UUA website.
C. Stay close to family, friends, and our religious community.
D. Pray, meditate, and talk to each other. We are not alone and neither are you.
Paul Worhach, UU Church of Berkeley, California
Tue Sep 18 17:43:54 EDT 2001
Contribution:
There are no words...we can not change what has happened. And asking why ...is all too clear and an exercise in futility. We know why.
That some were spared, and some died horribly is not Gods will, it is a tragic accident of location and airline schedules and the deranged machinations of a group of people who in the name of a perverted ideal have committed an unspeakable act...to all of us. None of us are spared. We ask ourselves, what did we do wrong? How could this happen to the greatest nation in the world? We have grown smug and complacent. We look for people on this side to blame for carelessness and a terrorist leader or group to attack. There are so many unanswered questions...that will remain unanswered. Now, today, we are too wounded to begin to heal...we are still uncovering...and re-covering our dead and our shattered dreams of invincibility. In one viciously effective strike, our naiveté is gone forever, and we stand with every other person and group of people who have been terrorized by another human being. Now we know. Undoubtedly we will retaliate some way...and they will retaliate...or try to...and more tragedy will unfold in living dying color across our living rooms.We have come together this morning to cry out our rage and our fear, and to give comfort to one another as we wonderful humans will always do in a crisis. We will speak and be silent together. We will light candles and we will weep and we will sing. We will share opportunities to help one another, here on the island, and wherever and however we can. It will never be enough...because we can't undo it or explain it. but because we have come together we can join our hears and minds in prayers for comfort and solace for those people who have died or who have lost a son or a daughter or a best friend or a spouse. We can not undo the evil that has happened here....but we can undertake to see that more and more good happens because of us....right here...on what ever scale we can manage.
We will over the time we have together, share silence, music, tears, prayers and personal thoughts, light candles...and hold each other and all the wounded people in our hearts. There will be more that we can do tomorrow and the next day...but this is what we can and must do now.
I will not turn the other cheek....but I will try to so fill the world with love and kindness that there is no room for evil.
Let us be more ready to share our wealth...on a national and international level
We must be a voice for justice and human dignity...and even if we don't actually do it ourselves, then we must give all of our support to those who dare and do speak out.May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart and the work of my hands be always acceptable in the sight of my fellow humans, and be a reflection of the divine light within us all. Namaste
I looked for seeds...l had acorns.....so symbolic...My husband picked and picked them...fewer we'll have to rake up in a few months. Take a little acorn as a symbol of how something small can become so very large. Each act of kindness or love that we perform or offer to another will send out its ripples to the end of the earth. If we all do it, if we all are kind to one another and give love whenever and how ever we can....I pray that the world will be so full of our ripples of loving kindness that there will be no room left for evil thinking and evil doing...and all people shall live as one people....because we don't really have a choice!
Amen, Blessed be.Rev. Judith Campabell Revdocmom@juno.com
Tue Sep 18 17:38:05 EDT 2001
Contribution:
What can I do? I keep asking myself that, constantly, every waking moment.
I can't just sit here wringing my hands, and tears and prayers aren't
enough. I've given blood, I've been to services and prayer vigils, I've
hugged my husband and said "I love you." But the personal and the
emotional responses are not enough for me. I need to do something
positive, concrete, and specific. And UUism is for me a rational religion,
so I've been grinding the gears to think of something. Anyway, here's a
thought or two, for what it's worth.1.It's true there is / will be a Muslim backlash. There may also be some
ongoing boycotting of Muslim-owned businesses. So how about having a meal at
in a Muslim-owned restaurant or making a point of buying something from a
Muslim-owned business? It might keep help keep someone from losing their
job or going bankrupt.2. Donate your tax return to the relief effort, if you can.
3. Take the time to educate yourself about the roots of terrorism, if you
haven't already done so. I sure haven't, I'm sorry to say! Perhaps the UU
Bookstore webpage could publish a bibliography on the subject.4. It seems to me that there is a characterization of this crisis
as a "clash of civilizations" after the book of the same name by
Samuel P. Huntingdon. I gather that one theme in the book (which I have
not yet read) is that a conflict between the West and Islam
is inevitable, a kind of new crusade, if you will. I am very much afraid
that extremists of all stripes are going to try their best to make this
idea a self-fulfilling prophesy. I feel strongly that Unitarians have
a role to play here in promoting peaceful alternatives to this kind of
thought and action. But what, exactly?Well, I should go. I hope this helps. It would sure help me to get some
concrete and specific suggestions from fellow UU's on what they are doing
to help.
Love to you all, SherriSherri J. Conyers sconyers@teleport.com
Tue Sep 18 17:30:06 EDT 2001
Contribution:
This is a simple and beautiful website forwarded to me by a friend in DC. It takes a couple of minutes to download, but it's worth the wait to see photos of people around the world marking last Tuesday's events.This is a great web site with photos from around the world.
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~hughesa/thankyou.htmElizabeth Terry elizabeth.terry@angelfire.com
Tue Sep 18 15:04:22 EDT 2001
Contribution:
There is a lesson to be learned here. It is almost forgotten here in Colorado from Columbine.
When I went to Columbine in the 90's all the signs were there, that something was not right. The divided culture of that high school is more than anyone will ever admit. We were teased, tortured, harassed and forced to leave the school because we did not fit in. We tried to tell everyone
how things were and every body said "There has always been pressure in highschool".
Not this kind of pressure, I saw many kids burst under the pressure. I saw a kid attack the principal, I saw kids lighting fires in the hallways, breaking windows, slashing tires. How much more of a signal did the community need? Well they got it.
And for a few days old friends called, people said "hello" and actually looked you in the face.
People held open doors for eachother and stopped at yellow lights. Neighbors stood in the street and talked to each other. Mothers hugged their children and fathers looked
through bedrooms, and sold their handguns in fear. People mourned, people wept, children gathered and held each other close. People came from miles around and mobbed the streets, buying stickers, t-shirts, coffee mugs, ribbons, teddy bears. The stickers are fading, the flowers wilted, and the children are back at school. The dead are buried
deep into the earth. No amount of money, prayers, laws, revenge, anger, hate or time will ever bring them back. People are waving their flags now, praising the police and firemen now, counting their blessings and hugging their children. But for how long? Our eyes are open, our hearts are open, and our ears are open. How long before they become clogged with sitcoms, cell phones, chores and bills?
When will we no longer need to be "awakened"? When will we start to pay attention to our children, and the rest of the world?
When will we take responsibility for our actions, and begin to think about what we are doing?
Do not forget how we feel today. Carry that feeling in your heart and soul as long as you live. Pass it on to your friends, family and children. Do not forget what has happened today or yesterday, do not let it go.
This is how I am dealing with this, any comments please e-mail me. Thank you for this forum, and this freedom.
Chris Testerman ctester@uswest.com
Tue Sep 18 13:20:27 EDT 2001
Contribution:
The current attacks against Muslims (and people thought to be Muslims
by the ignorant) are, quite rightly, being condemned by all of our
political leaders. Unfortunately, they have _failed_ to counter bias
against Islam in the US in general, which may well have contributed to
the success of the terrorist attacks by reducing the chance that
American Muslims would be, for instance, in the FBI. I speak of
everything from Sundays but not Fridays being days off, to politicians
claiming this is a "Christian nation". The terrorist attacks were
probably at least partially motivated by Muslim vs non-Muslim
intolerance (Bin Laden is upset at non-Muslims being present in Saudi
Arabia, and for that matter in the Middle East in general); it is not
right for us to respond similarly.Unfortunately, we are moving in the opposite direction. For instance,
it seems reasonably certain that the current anti-privacy legislation
(see http://www.eff.org/alerts/20010917_eff_wiretap_alert.html) will
be used selectively to monitor Muslim (and other non-mainstream
groups, including many UUs, as we saw during the Vietnam War) groups
and violate the privacy of their members.I suppose that I was not as shocked as many after the attacks, nor
felt as much "loss of innocence", because I _expected_ something like
this to happen, including negative and/or ineffective responses to
it like the above. I am glad that others had previously felt such
innocence - such lack of vulnerability - and wish it were still the
case.
Allen Smith easmith@beatrice.rutgers.edu
Tue Sep 18 12:31:08 EDT 2001
Contribution:
September 11, 2001, ContinuedI realize how this has upset me so.
I keep going to-and-fro...
The news: I want to know,
And yet I don't want to know.
Hide my head under a pillow.
Try to be calm, let it just flow.
I'm afraid of where this will go.
Another Vietnam, with nothing to show.
Can we again stoop that low?
Our course seems all too narrow.
Do we really want to follow?
Drag us in, our whole country in tow?But this is too big for it to blow.
We certainly can't live with the status quo.
Are we ready to take on this foe?
Box him in, make him eat crow?
Or take him down, put him below?
Is this the opportunity for another hero?
Let the military shine in war's glow,
Chasing down terrorists in the Afghan snow?Hello?
No.
Kit Lueder kitdaddio@aol.com
Tue Sep 18 11:21:29 EDT 2001
Contribution:
I realized that I should have included the lyrics in this form in case people did not want to follow the link.After a conversation with my 8-year old daughter, I wrote this song Friday morning. I performed it at my congregation, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northwest Tucson. The response was very positive, so I put it up on the web - lyrics and MP3. Please share this with anyone you wish:
http://personal.riverusers.com/~jchamberlain/
Thank you,
Jeff Chamberlain jchamberlain@theriver.com
Tue Sep 18 11:20:23 EDT 2001
Contribution:
Newsletter column - "Our children and youth need us"
The Rev. David M. Horst, MRE
First and Second Church in Boston
This past Sunday [September 16], at the beginning of our homecoming service, we lit our chalice in remembrance of those who died in the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. We also expressed our deep gratitude to the police, firefighters, medical personnel, and all the rescuers whose work continues.
Following the chalice lighting, I led the congregation in affirming our congregation as a community of learning and recognizing our religious education teachers and volunteers. I hesitated for a moment before I began the affirmation, however, wondering how we could possibly talk about anything else but the recent tragedy. Our feelings of grief and loss seemed all consuming.
Upon reflection, I realized that religious education for our children and youth is one of the critical responses we must make to the tragic events. Our world is changing dramatically; and we’re reminded most urgently that we, as a congregation, have a vital role to play in the lives of our children and youth. First, we must be a place of comfort and safekeeping. Second, we must give our children and youth the time and space to ask questions, talk, grieve, and pray. Third, we must guide them—even through our own tears—to make sense of the tragedy.
I spoke with the children at length about their feelings following our worship together in the sanctuary. Some spoke of their fears: I assured them that they were safe and well loved at church, home, school, and the larger community. Others spoke of their anger: I challenged them to channel their anger toward peace and justice, not bigotry or revenge. Most everyone expressed sadness: I shared their sadness and assured them that faith, hope, and love will always overcome despair.
Our liberal religious principles can help us all make sense of this tragedy and suggest how we might respond as a loving, justice-seeking people. Let me suggest that we help our children and youth articulate a religious and moral response beyond the facts, statistics, and horrifying images. When we talk with our children, perhaps our Unitarian Universalist precepts may guide us:
We believe that each and every person is important.
We believe that all people should be treated fairly and kindly.
We believe that we should accept one another and keep on learning together.
We believe that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
We believe that all persons should have a vote about the things that concern them.
We believe in working for a peaceful, fair, and free world.
We believe in caring for our planet earth, the home we share with all living things.
Parents, teachers, and all members of our congregation can help. Let us continue to love our children and youth and nurture their religious and moral growth. Especially now, in the face of violence and hate, our children and youth need us.
Peace, David
Rev. David M. Horst david@fscboston.org
Tue Sep 18 11:19:39 EDT 2001
Contribution:
I'm not sure what to think, exactly, about these horrendous events, but it's along the lines of get the culprits, get us security, but get us understanding.This was not an Arab crime, or a Muslim crime, but a crime of terrorism by people who have no respect for humanity or human dignity. There are such people in this country who claim to be patriotic Americans, but they are not. They are--like those who blew up the Trade Center-- merely intolerant fools just as all terrorists are.
I think that although America has been savegely attacked and all of the patriotism which has been expressed is entirely appropriate, we should nevertheless consider ourselves citizens of the world and do whatever we can to bridge cultural barriers so that no sane person will ever want to say that the lunatic fringe of any of our societies is a part of any particular race, religion, culture, or ethnicity.
Randall S. Farrar rsf@mvn.net
Tue Sep 18 08:56:37 EDT 2001
Based on scripts created by Matt Wright and can be found at Matt's Script Archive