Dear Friends,
Those of you that were at worship this past Sunday know that my voice was going, going and almost gone. The combination of a virus and a lack of power in our Sanctuary (which meant that I had to speak very loudly without the help of a microphone) resulted in strained vocal cords and a suggestion from my doctor on Monday to stay home and get some rest.
Being down with a virus is not how I intended to spend my weekend off. Yet, as I sit here at my computer in my home office with the sunlight streaming in through the window and cherry blossom petals blowing about outside in the breeze, I am feeling grateful for the collective wisdom of my doctor, and my family and friends, as well as my own experience. Together, they are telling me that I need to take it easy if I want to heal.
Collective wisdom is understood by some as shared knowledge arrived at by individuals or groups. It draws on the idea that each of us holds a piece of the truth and that, collectively, we can arrive at certain truths for the good of the whole and the betterment of life. It seems to me that collective wisdom also depends on the components of time and diversity to arrive at decisions or insights that have wide consideration. Coercion and omission would no doubt corrupt the process of arriving at collective wisdom.
Collective wisdom and whether there are efforts being made to fairly and openly arrive at it seems to be the heart of many dilemmas – from Western nations determining how to respond to the political events taking place between Russia and Ukraine to ascertaining how to best handle growth and change here at Northwest. It seems that believing in collective wisdom means trusting in an inclusive process and that a more universal truth can be revealed when everyone’s voices are heard.
Our Unitarian Universalist congregational polity is based on the principle of collective wisdom and self-determination – that is, a freely-gathered community has the knowledge and the right to determine what is in its best interests, while being mindful of how its decisions impact the larger community. Each day, we have the opportunity to live into this value at Northwest for our own well-being and allow the notion of collective wisdom to guide our actions in the wider world.
May we heed the wisdom that exists collectively among us . . . and may it lead us to greater understanding, healing and peace.
Warmly,
Terry