Acknowledging Suffering and the Art of Repairing

The well-respected Unitarian Universalist minister and theologian Forrest Church once said, “Our hands will not be clean until we get them dirty, until we roll up our sleeves and match our words with deeds.” This, of course, is hard to do. It is much easier to send thoughts and prayers and skip the actions required to repair this world.

We tend to our homes, our lawns, our cars, but we often ignore our planet. This is evident by the devastating effects of the indifference so many of our leaders have to the wellness of our environment. It is also evident in the fact that we have people suffering from an inability to afford education, healthcare, housing, food, etc.

When the tending is too hard, many embrace ignorance over action. Ignorance, the act of looking the other way, is never the answer. In fact, Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun, urges us to face whatever makes us uncomfortable. It is only by acknowledging troubles that we may take steps to remedy them.

What might repairing the world look like? I’m reminded of quotes from Saint Teresa of Calcutta and The Tao Te Ching, both of which espouse that even small steps lead to great ones. Perhaps having tea with a friend who is grieving is a way of tending and mending. Calling a lonely elder or donating time to an afterschool program are also good ways of caring. Giving food to someone hungry is another.

Despite political rhetoric telling us to be wary of those who are in crisis–those who may need education, healthcare, housing, food, or other vital necessities–we must act to take care of one another. In fact, inciting fear is simply another way of ignoring. By now, we should know that ignoring suffering does not lead to alleviating suffering.

Pema Chödrön says, “Suffering begins to dissolve when we can question the belief of the hope that there’s anywhere to hide.” Suffering cannot be hidden, pushed to some unseen place. Yes, it is certainly easier to look the other way, to roll up the windows and turn up the radio when a person in need flashes a sign that says, “HUNGRY. NEED FOOD. PLEASE HELP.” It is easy to begin the litany of judgments: They are probably going to buy alcohol. Why don’t they just get a job? This isn’t my responsibility. We have so many justifications that feed the “us versus them” mentality. Each one, however, is an illusion, and illusion fuels ignorance.

The reality is that when one suffers, we all suffer. I urge our community to look directly at suffering. After seeing it in its various forms, may we acknowledge it and take action to repair the damages. May we comfort those who are not well, be it mentally, physically, socially, economically, or spiritually. May we act even when everything inside of us says to look away. May we tend to our beautiful planet and all of its glorious inhabitants.