Passing Through Feb 2022
“When will we ever learn?” asks Joe Hickerson and Pete Seeger’s iconic song from the early 1960s. With a melody ironically inspired by a Ukrainian folk song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” has always seemed a bit too precious to me. Its probably just a matter of taste – I’ve always gravitated toward the grittier side of the era, say Dylan’s “Masters of War”. Yet there’s no doubt millions across space and time have embraced the song as a soundtrack for peacemaking.
But no matter one’s preference in musical styles, the frightening fact is that by the time you read this, Russian forces may have invaded the country that so inspired Hickerson and Seeger. If so – just months after Allied troops exited Afghanistan – warmongers, graveyards and flowers will once again become the order of the day.
Yet even if the world is blessedly spared an armed conflict, great harm has already been done to those living on both sides of the Russian-Ukraine border. Most were living at subsistence levels prior to the Russian buildup. Now they’re refugees whose meager homes have become a part of a neutral zone at best.
And consider the toll already exacted upon the region’s habit and earth. Even what the Christian scriptures call “rumors” of war can spark damage to a planet already in distress, and those who are most vulnerable.
Paraphrasing, this time from the Hebrew bible,” then from whence will our help come? Who shall deliver us from such devastation?”
Acknowledging that preachers generally make for mighty poor politicians, three things seem obvious from our centuries old religious tradition:
- Being accountable: We really are the ones we’ve been waiting to save us. Humanity got us into this fix. Even if your or my theology is rooted in a higher power, God doesn’t push donate buttons, contact elected leaders or join protests at capitol buildings;
- Being the world we say we want: Fear and stress are constants in times of peace, but are multiplied many times over when war clouds gather. If there’s one thing that separates spiritual giants from the rest of us, it’s their capacity to treat self and others with kindness even when the sky really is falling;
- Being clear about the essentials: To paraphrase UU dance scholar, educator and consultant ask us, if COVID hasn’t shown us what and who are essential to our lives, what will? Back to those spiritual giants (past and present), deciding what to keep and what to let go is an ongoing spiritual practice. Simplicity of spirit and things free us from idolatry.
Again, most preachers are not equipped to talk about the particulars of a pending war. And this month’s column proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. But what I can say is our religious tradition was not designed only for the good times, the easy times. If not the three lessons above, dig into our history for ones that better speak to you. Learn more about how you and I might be a force for good, even at the precipice of war.