Class Background, Unitarian Universalism's Hidden Diversity

“As the national polarization gets ever more bitter, we must work all the harder not to stereotype those who disagree with us according to their race, class, income, or other demographic category, no matter how closely such traits may correlate with ideas we oppose. The more tempted we are to write people off without a hearing, the harder we should be working to understand them.”

Doug Muder (contributing editor and columnist for UU World. 

What I really want is dignity, to be respected as a whole yet flawed individual who is trying with all she has to make life kinder to those she meets, and I suspect that others also feel like this. That we get scared, get angry, get defeated, and tired at times, and say things we regret, is part of our nature.

However we also have the capacity to bring back to the fold, our compassionate reason, and to acknowledge those who do difficult work. Fire fighters, police officers, ministers, parents, sons, daughters, social workers and teachers are tested every minute of every day - to do the best they can under the circumstances.

Going forward we anticipate that mistakes will be made. As the organism we know as society, we can appreciate the trained and innate skills of others and learn from their experiences.

At times when this society is in crisis I can look to those learned skills for some answers along with my own awareness and observations.  This is where much of our wealth lies.