Note: This morning I gave this reflection as part of the Tikkun olam (repair of the world) service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration in Philadelphia. To view a YouTube video, click here.
Good morning
After I talked to Maria some weeks ago about today’s service, I went to teach my adult creative writing class and a new student — a retired nurse — talked about her struggle with breast cancer (which she is still battling) and why she wants to write a book about it, not only to chronicle her own experience but to help caretakers and medical professionals know what to do and what not to do.
I encourage my students to write about the hard stories in their lives — to go where the energy is and to protect themselves by setting down boundaries. Having written out several of my own hard stories, I have experienced that the energy of the subject matter will change after the story is written. At the very least, the act of writing the story will give the writer more perspective.
In this way the writer experiences more whole-ness in her or his own life. And the telling of the story is healing for the world. When I have heard from readers about the books I have written — both prose and poetry — that the work has meaning for them because they have had remarkably similar experiences, their remarks are a gift.
I’ve been teaching creative writing for nearly twenty years and consider it an honor. Just recently, because of the work that I am doing with Restoration, I have begun to consider my role in coaching students of all ages to tell their story an extension of the ministry that I do here.
When Maria asked me the question of whether what is inside of us influences the outside world, I had to think about it. That this church has such a strong focus on social justice is something that appeals to me. Obviously, we are connected to the world and have a responsibility for healing it.
But — as a writer — I spend far more time inside my head than I do in the world.
Wholeness is something I have long struggled with — for a variety of reasons. My daily practice of yoga and Buddhist chanting helps — as does attending worship at Restoration. On Tuesday morning, my yoga teacher (the one and only Jane Hulting) reminded me that all we have to do to connect with our inner selves is to take a deep breath. That’s something we can do now. Breathe in as I count to four and then breathe out as I count to six.
If the whole world were to take a breath at the same time, then things might change. At the very least the people of the world might be able to pause, reconsider and change the course of their actions.
My relatively brief time here at Restoration has given me that pause. I have been more open to religion — or what is thought of as religion — and yet I have become more in touch with my secular self. My Unitarian Universalist journey has also coincided with my best and most productive years as a writer — something I’m sure is no coincidence, especially given the UU mission of restoring wholeness. Creative writing has long been my channel to spirituality and to myself. I have long recognized that there are lots of unhealed people in the world who oppress others. I can’t say that if they were healed, all the social ills would go away. But I can say that I have a commitment to my own whole-ness.
But I — along with everyone else — am connected to the world and I am concerned about it.
I came across this quote from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama:
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
It bears repeating:
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
The quote made me smile and it helped me realize that there are things that we all can do:
We can belong to a congregation like Restoration that has a strong focus on diversity and social justice.
We can decide where and when not to spend our money — or as my mother said — “vote with your dollar.”
We can support elected officials who support the same values that we do. We can also vote against candidates — those trying to be elected officials — who don’t share our values.
We can also go through life with an open-mind and open-heart. This may be difficult in our increasingly fractured world, but it is more important than ever — for our insides and for our outsides.
Namaste
Janet Mason, author 