Thoughts for June

We are approaching summer, a time in which to rest up from activities of the year that have been rather strenuous for some of us. Since I will be on vacation from late June to fairly late in August, I thought I would share some basic notions I have about religious liberals and us UUs in particular that might help to widen our perspective a bit.

Over the years, a reassuring thing I have found about us is that we strive to be open to the world. We try to keep our minds cleared of prejudice and predispositions that would prevent a clear experience of reality. If this is not always our practice, at least it is our aspiration.

However, as students of the human mind tell us, people (even religious liberals) seldom allow into themselves the whole of any truth. Rather, people (even religious liberals) tend to expose themselves only to that which they select as worthy of their attention -- and cut out all else. So, being people, we religious liberals all too often limit our perception to that to which we are willing to expose ourselves. And then, we tend to retain only that which enhances our established views.

We could not completely free ourselves of this process of selectivity even if we tried. It is as much a part of us as the way we see, the way we hear, and the way we feel. We do not see everything we look at nor hear every sound that comes our way. Neither do we always feel the way we say we feel.

We can, however, by an act of will, make ourselves more open to information and experiences than we usually allow. We can consciously elect to expose ourselves to that which is different from our habitual, preconceived inclinations. We can intentionally

challenge ourselves with that with which we are not yet comfortable. We can deliberately take the risk of exposing ourselves to that which we do not yet under- stand without condemning it. We can do these things. And, if we do them, the likelihood of divisive factions developing is lessened and the possibility of a truly healthy diversity that is comprised by mutually respectful individuals is enhanced.

It isn’t easy, of course. People everywhere (at least everywhere I have been) often are victims of their limited capacity to take in more than makes them comfortable. But, isn’t that what Unitarian Uni- versalism is at root—the striving for truth no matter how difficult digesting it may be? Comfort and com- placency, while enjoyable, actually are prisons that lock us away in our own biases.

Anyway, these are some things to think about this summer that can bring us back together in the fall with renewed devotion to each other and to KUUF as a religious institution that has friendships within it and is not just a group of friends trying to be a reli- gious institution. But, after you’ve given some thought to such things, relax and enjoy yourselves. I plan to do just that.

Don Vaughn-Foerster