ANOTHER WEEK<\/b><\/p>\n
Another week of social distancing;
\nAnother week of limited social contact outside of our own homes;
\nAnother week of too much Zoom and Google Meet;
\nAnother week of news about Coronavirus, masks, rising numbers, and political bantering;
\nAnother week of inequity for people of color, coming to terms with our real American history, and hard conversations about race;
\nAnother week managing our emotion and the emotions of those around us;
\nAnother week of intense planning without knowing how anything will go;
\nAnother week of\u2026(insert your own) worrying about finances, parenting bored kids, fearing for loved ones, trying to protect your household, etc.<\/p>\n
This is one of the hardest seasons of my life.\u00a0Physically it is exhausting just trying to parent all day, every day. I have been working from home but my daughters have also been frequent visitors to some of my meetings. I find that professionally embarrassing.\u00a0 I am interrupted about once a sentence. It is also hard to see the level of financial need in our community.\u00a0So many households have lost income.\u00a0The crisis funds have been high volume.\u00a0We have students without stable housing, faculty with overwhelming medical bills, and staff relying on the food pantry.\u00a0Emotionally, I am struggling with missing my former normal life, seeing friends, going out to dinner, and watching my family struggle. I get angry easier when the utility companies make it difficult to help or the insurance company sends me in circles.<\/p>\n
Ethically this is a hard time as well. Individual freedom has to be sacrificed for the common good.\u00a0Individual choices have to take into consideration our own persons and our own families, but also those who are the most vulnerable.\u00a0It is just plain hard to decide not to go somewhere or do something because you will put another person at risk.\u00a0It is hard to understand how a statue affects our culture in a way that may not speak to me as a majority person.\u00a0I have to think about many viewpoints and do a lot of listening.\u00a0Diversity and justice for all require both a mask and a commitment to dismantling systemic racism.<\/p>\n
We are so used to thinking that our individual choices do not affect our global world that it is a hard concept to think about. It is almost too much to fathom that the small choices we make every day affect our global brothers and sisters.\u00a0From the butterfly effect to the power of a smile, little things make a difference and that difference compounds. This is a time when all of our decisions must be made on a moral center and with an ethical focus if we are to survive.<\/p>\n
William Barber, Disciples pastor and political activist,\u00a0member of the national board of the NAACP, says \u201cOur concern is the moral fabric of our society. It’s about a deep vision of society that says we must look at two guiding stars. The first is our state and national Constitutions, with their insistence on the common good, the good of the whole, and establishing equal justice under the law. And the second guiding star comes from the best of all our moral and ethical traditions, loving your neighbor and doing justice. It is from these two perspectives that public policy ought to be developed. We should ask, are policies constitutionally consistent, morally defensible, and economically sane?\u201d<\/p>\n
He pushes harder saying, \u201cWe challenge the position that the preeminent moral issues are prayer in public schools, abortion, and property rights. Instead, we declare that the moral public concerns of our faith traditions are how our society treats the poor, women, LGBTQ people, children, workers, immigrants, communities of color, and the sick. Our deepest moral traditions point to equal protection under the law, the desire for peace within and among nations, the dignity of all people, and the responsibility to care for our common home.\u201d<\/p>\n
This time of focus on both social distancing and social justice is just another week–but perhaps it is a week where we can practice radical care for each other and change our world to one of freedom and justice for all.<\/p>\n
Another Week
\nAnother week of wearing a mask to protect others;
\nAnother week of isolating and having self-control;
\nAnother week of dismantling institutional practices that do not build everyone up;
\nAnother week of balancing need and wants;
\nAnother week of being conscious about bias;
\nAnother week of asking hard questions about actions and choices;
\nAnother week of sharing my blessings;
\nAnother week of loving everyone.<\/p>\n
Please be careful with yourself and others. This is a rough time and everyone is doing their best. Let\u2019s be the best community we can be and take this opportunity to support one another and change our world at the same time.<\/p>\n
Stephanie McLemore
\nUniversity Chaplain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANOTHER WEEK Another week of social distancing; Another week of limited social contact outside of our own homes; Another week of too much Zoom and Google Meet; Another week of news about Coronavirus, masks, rising numbers, and political bantering; Another …<\/p>\n