Social Justice 2020

In this crucial election year, many of our social justice efforts will focus on politics. We can set an example with compassion and active listening.


The presidential election of 2020
  is officially beginning this week.

If you are as much of a politics junkie as me,
  you already know very well
    that the Iowa caucuses are tomorrow.

It seems a little bit ironic to me
  that the opening of the election season
    happens in a relatively low population,
      town and country,
        ethnically homogeneous (non-diverse?) State.

The first in the nation primary might as well begin
  in Idaho!

And why not?

We do have to start somewhere,
  and if we are going to ask, "Why Iowa?"
    we almost inevitably have to ask,
     "Why not Iowa? (or Idaho!)"

[As the election season begins,
  it's a great time to start thinking together
    about our preparations.]

Each of the presidential elections of my lifetime
  has been called the most important election ever.

It does appear that the importance of elections
  has been on the increase every four years,
    but this time the presidential election
      really has taken on extra importance.

The word existential is not one
  that I like to throw around,
    but the continued functioning
      of the U.S. as a republic
        may in fact be at stake.

So many of our institutions and norms
  have been under attack for the last generation,
    and the attacks have accelerated
      in recent years.

As Unitarian Universalists
  the subject of democracy
    is especially dear to our hearts:

Today's topic of social justice and politics
  involves four of our
    Unitarian Universalist Principles:
      the Fifth, the Sixth, the Second, and the First.

The Fifth principle is directly involved
  with the political process
    which we are considering:

5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

The Sixth principle includes a description
  of the social justice we seek to achieve:

6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

The Second principle also includes a description
  of justice in all of our relationships:

2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

As we will see more in the latter part of the sermon,
  the First principle gives us the foundation
    for our view of social justice.

(1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;)

Compassion is vital in all our consideration of justice,
  whether in our individual relationships
    or in social justice within all of our encounters
      with other human beings.

Only as we care about other human beings
  will we likewise be concerned with social justice,
    a step beyond what we often call fairness.

Many times we protest to those in authority,
  "It's not fair!"

This is especially often the cry of a child
  in the face of undesirable circumstances.

When my children offered this protest to me,
  like most parents,
    my usual response was,
      "Nobody promised you fairness."

To say the least,
  that is not a particularly satisfying response!

As adults, we have mostly internalized the lesson.

Fairness is still important,
  but we know that it can be hard to achieve.

Justice is a different matter.

More often than not it is a matter of law.

Equal justice under law is indeed a promise
  to us all in the U.S. as it is now constituted.

Equal justice is implied in our UU Principles
  concerning social justice.

Indeed, social justice is the promise
  of any free society
    which is kept free by a devotion
      to the rule of law.

Only the rule of just laws
  can preserve social justice and freedom.

It is exactly the rule of law
  that is at stake
    in the elections of 2020.

Regardless of which side of the politics
  one is on in this election,
    it is clear that the rule of law
      is on the ballot.

The central question is precisely
  what the rule of law means.

To some the rule of law is a libertarian principle:
  "The one who rules least rules best. "

That libertarian principle is a good one
  as far as it goes.

At the same time, like many principles,
  it does not cover the whole picture.

There are situations in which
  more rules are necessary.

Where human lives and well being are at stake,
  it is simply not possible to trust
    in everyone's good will.

Those with more resources
  may prefer to hold on to them
    for their own personal benefit
      rather than share them for the help
        of more people in need.

The generosity of the few
  cannot be expected
    to provide for the needs of the many.

Hence social justice is a principle
  that must be held in balance
    with the freedoms implied by
      libertarian values.

One of the simplest examples of this balance
  is the maintenance of public roads.

A libertarian point of view
  might include an unwillingness
    to contribute to maintaining roads
      a given citizen believes
        he or she does not use.

Social justice would recognize:
  There are no public roads
    failing to provide benefits
      to any given citizen at some time.

Therefore general taxation is used
  for at least part of the maintenance
    of public roads.

And yet, roads that exist
  only for private interests and use
    would not be maintained by public resources.

Hence there is - or can be - balance
  between the libertarian values
    and the values of social justice.

The election of 2020 threatens the balance
  in ways I have not seen
    in my lifetime.

There are candidates who want to change
  the boundaries of social justice
    to the point that many of us
      would not recognize them any more.

Anyone who is not considered worthy of our concern
  could then be ignored,
    and none of our resources need be spent on them.

Social justice would require us
  to see every person as worthy of our concern.

This brings us face to face with the very first
  of our UU principles,
    the one on which all the others are based:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

If we keep inherent worth and dignity in mind,
  social justice will surely follow.

Tomorrow officially starts
  the presidential campaign of 2020.

We don't have to go to Iowa to participate.

There are plenty of opportunities
  right where we are.

No two of us will have
  exactly the same opportunities.

Yet each of us can do our own part.

As we work to promote social justice
  in all our political activities,
    there is one thing we can all do,
      and it's based on our first principle,
        the inherent worth and dignity of all people.

We can listen actively to others,
  especially those who disagree with us.

Active listening means not only paying attention
  but also communicating effectively
    that we care enough about the other person
      that we are hearing what they are saying to us.

There is one other area of concern
  with social justice in our current political climate.

I can scarcely believe that I must speak of it
  in our society today.

You may remember that authoritarian rulers
  in many places - especially South America -
    have simply "disappeared"
      their political opponents.

Most of the disappeared were murdered.

A way of preventing the problem of disappearing
  was accompanying the dissidents.

The dissidents and opponents of the powerful
  were not left by their friends to move about
    even in their own neighborhoods
      by themselves.

Ordinary citizens would go about with them,
  accompanying them, and
    making it nearly impossible for them to be
      kidnapped and disappeared.

Many lives were saved in this way.

It may become necessary for us to do this
  in our own country
    before the present troubled times
      come to an end.

One contemporary political leader
  who may be a candidate for accompanying
    is Adam Schiff, chair of
      the House Intelligence Committee.

Another may be Marie Yovanovitch,
  former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.

Both have come under direct and deliberate threat.

Accompanying is something any of us can do.

It may be needed anywhere and at any time,
  and it will take courage.

It seems like a small thing,
  but it could be life and death,
    not only for those at risk,
      but also for freedom
         and the rule of law
           for us all. 

Another task of social justice may prove necessary:
  a truth and reconciliation commission
    or something similar.

The prototype for such a commission was
  in the Republic of South Africa.

Those who had harmed others
  were given a chance to confess what they had done
    in open court.

As long as they would tell the truth,
  they could receive a pardon.

Then they could begin to work
  to undo at least some of the harm they had done.

Something similar may prove necessary
  in our own times and places,
    but it will be a matter for us to think about more
      on another day.

I want to conclude today's sermon with a few words
  called the Parable of the Choir:

A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long
  because singers can individually drop out
    to breathe as necessary, and the note goes on.

Social justice activism should be like that.

Amen

Ameen

Omeyn

So Mote It Be

Blessed Be