by Glenn Koller
Delivered at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation on January 11, 2015
Years ago when I was working, I traveled to Chicago to help a chemicals group. They were trying to decide whether they should spend around fifty million dollars to build a demonstration plant to prove the applicability of some new technology, or, to forego the demo plant, install the new technology in full-sized plants around the world, and hope for the best.
When I entered the room in Chicago, there were six individuals to meet me including the project manager, some engineers, and experts in logistical and environmental matters. I asked them if they were all there to solve the same problem and they all attested that they were.
I asked them to imagine that it was one week hence and I had produced EXACTLY what they wanted. I also asked them to imagine that they were standing by a printer and a paper was coming out on which was their perfect result. I asked all of them to take out a piece of paper and pencil and draw or state what they saw coming out of the printer.
Of course, when compared, none of the six perfect answers were similar. Each person envisioned a perfect solution from his or her own perspective. So it is with most organizations that have a dedicated purpose.
When I joined Northwest in 2012, one of the first things I did was to sign up to be a member of Northwest’s Earth Ministry team. As you likely know, this group, among other things, speaks out and takes action against what it perceives to be environmental injustice.
Just like that Chicago group, the Earth Ministry represents a very diverse cadre of members each with a unique perspective of the commonly-held goals and ideals.
Like the strings of a guitar – all of which have a different sound – the trick is to blend those different sounds to address a common goal which, for the guitarist, is a specific piece of music.
Shortly after I joined the Earth Ministry, the Keystone Pipeline and some other issues became hot topics. Having spent decades in the pharmaceutical/medical devices business but mainly in the energy business, my perspective on how to address these issues was, shall we say, distinct.
My string made a sound that was fundamentally incongruous. Yet, I was no less honestly trying to address the environmental and other injustices than were all of the other “strings” in the group all of whom had similar sounds. I foresaw trouble.
Turns out, Dave Zenner, who is the lay leader in charge of the Earth Ministry, is quite the “guitarist.” Rather than ostracizing my seemingly very different string, Dave and the rest of the group embraced me and helped me fit my different note into the score.
It’s actually been a fairly harmonious experience. So, I suspect that one of the fundamental principles of speaking out and taking action against perceived injustices is not only to find your voice, but to discover the means to blend many unique voices into focused, meaningful, and beautiful music.