I carry a backpack containing my computer and the things I need for my meetings, workshops, travels and conferences all the time. I switched to a backpack a couple of years ago after carrying a heavy shoulder bag on one shoulder making my posture unbalanced for years. So, when in the midst of the frantic media reactions to the bombing at the Boston Marathon, someone suggested that we should ban all backpacks from public events, I was a little upset. I was upset because this reaction to this tragedy was to set more limits, which is one of the typical responses to fear. Here is the logic: since the last tragedy involved two people who carried backpacks with explosives, we should limit the use of backpacks to increase safety. Using the same logic, why don’t we also ban baseball caps and immigrants from public events?
The two
suspects who allegedly did this horrific crime probably lived very limited
lives. They did not have diverse friends
nor a community of support. As a result,
they probably had a very limited view of the world—especially of the United
States, of which one is a citizen.
Responding to this tragedy with more limits actually reinforces one of
the causes of the problem—isolation, which leads to unsustainability. The limiting response to fear will narrow
our connections with others, further isolating individuals, communities and
nations, thus diminishing our capacity to foster sustainable communities.
Instead, a sustainist response to this fear-triggering tragedy is to do the opposite: instead of setting more limits, we widen our circles of knowledge and network. Sustainists deal with fear by inviting people of different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to enter into a gracious environment to speak the truth to each other in love, making real connections in the midst of diverse beliefs and viewpoints. Sustainists create diverse communities and empower people to share words and actions that sustain, widening the circle of grace, truth, peace and love.
I wrote a song called “Sustain the Weary” last December as a response to the Newtown, CT school shooting. Here is the audio version of the song. Please share it with others. I would like to share this song with the families and friends of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.
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Reflection Questions for 5th Sunday of Easter (Year C): Acts 11:18 Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 John 10:22-30 |
Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org
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2013 Opportunities to Study with The Sustainist: July 15-19 August 19-23 Register at: www.kscopeinstitute.org |
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