Possibilities and Realities 

When we are optimistic, we need a dose of realism. When we are pessimistic, we need to maintain a view of good things that are possible. 

Wishful thinking can be fun, 

  but it can often get in the way

    of accomplishing the things that we need to do, 

      and even doing or getting the things we want. 

Wishful thinking can be caused 

  by inappropriate optimism 

    or by an attempt to escape 

      from inappropriate pessimism. 

We can be enabled or disabled 

  by pessimism or optimism, either one. 

When pessimism points us 

  toward thinking realistically, 

    it can enable us. 

When it discourages us from taking action, 

  by leading us to ask, "What's the use?" 

    it can disable us. 

The latter, asking, "What's the use?" 

  would be a form of inappropriate pessimism. 

When optimism encourages us to take action, 

  by leading us to believe 

    that our actions will do some good, 

      it can enable us. 

When optimism devolves, 

  when it winds down, into wishful thinking, 

    leading us to believe that all will be well 

      without anyone's effort, 

        it disables us. 

Believing that all will be well without anyone's effort 

  would be a form of inappropriate optism. 

One way to understand optimism versus pessimism 

  would be an approach to healthy relationships. 

All relationships involve 

  being together and being apart. 

Optimism refers to the boundaries 

  which we all need. 

Pessimism refers to the territories 

  which we all may feel that we need to defend. 

The reality is, as the song by Chicago says, 

  "Even lovers need some time 

      away from each other." 

There is nothing wrong with that need, 

  and mutual respect brings us the realism 

    that will enable us 

      to accept each other 

        and our needs as we are. 

The antidote for too much optimism 

  or too much pessimism 

    is a healthy dose of realism. 

When we are realistic, 

  we are willing to take a clear-eyed look 

    at the realities around us. 

Sometimes we try to hide from those realities 

  because of the realities are just too scary, 

    because of fear, 

      but a saying that has helped me 

        many times in my life 

          is, "Perfect love casts out fear." 

            [1 John 4:18 and ACIM]

Realistically, there is no such thing as perfect love, 

  but it can be a goal. 

Love is stronger even than death, 

  so surely it is stronger than fear. 

    [Song of Solomon 8:6] 

As I spoke of it a couple of weeks ago, 

  love is not just a feeling. 

Love is action, caring for one another 

  as well as for ourselves. 

The arc of the moral universe 

  will bend toward justice

    so long as we continue to bend it by our actions. 

Participating in moving toward justice 

  can help us avoid the extreme ends 

    of optimism or pessimism. 

Right actions will always bend the arc 

  of the moral universe 

    toward justice. 

The good side of religious life 

  encourages us to do what we can 

    to move ourselves, our communities, 

      our nations and our world 

        toward justice. 

Sadly, too much of religious life involves dogmatism 

  rather than moral or right action. 

Dogmatism without right action has enabled 

  many of the problems 

    we have lived with for generations. 

People can justify all kinds of evil actions 

  in the name of promoting their own religions, 

    some sincere individuals believing 

      that the doctrines of their faith 

        are more important 

          than anyone's personal morality, 

            including their own. 

We are faced with some important choices 

  in the world of religion in our time. 

Will we move toward doctrines 

  as the most important expression of faith, 

or will we move toward actions that care for others 

  as the most important expression of faith? 

The answer remains to be seen 

  in a lot of collective thoughts, words, and deeds. 

I'm quite certain of the direction 

  we as UU's hope we will move, 

    that is, toward positive, moral action 

      as the expression of our faith. 

It's one of the reasons, I believe, 

  that we have associated ourselves 

    with the Unitarian Universalists. 

As a Lutheran minister, 

  I have grappled with the evangelical tradition 

    that we are justified entirely by grace 

      without any consideration of works of the law, 

        without concern for the things that we can do. 

The Lutheran faith tradition would seem 

  to work against the importance of right action 

    as the most important expression of faith, 

      but in reality it doesn't often happen that way. 

The question at the heart of the matter 

  involves what we mean by the word, "faith." 

My experience, both personally 

  and in community with others, 

    has been that faith means grappling 

      with the issues of life, 

        especially the issues of right and wrong, 

          regardless of the conclusions we reach. 

In other words, people of faith can (and often do) 

  come to different conclusions about 

    the important social and personal questions 

      of the time in which we live. 

I am pessimistic about the idea 

  that we will come to agreement 

    about the right actions we all need to take. 

I'm optimistic about the possibilities for the future 

  when people do work together 

    for the common good. 

Reality calls me to look for things we can agree on 

  so that we can work together, 

    even if the areas of agreement are small. 

Sometimes we have to start small 

  before we can accomplish anything at all. 

Our faiths give us a starting place 

  for working together, 

    and I find what I believe is a realistic hope 

      in the starting place of our faiths. 

Orthodoxy in religion 

  is concerned with getting all the ideas right. 

A corresponding word, orthopraxy, 

  is concerned with engaging in the actions 

    that will lead to more justice, 

      to better conditions of life for everyone. 

Faith can be summarized, to describe it again, as 

  Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy - dogma vs. principle 

    doctrine vs. action 

      religious law vs. personal morality. 

Personal morality, as I understand it, 

  refers to the commandment to love our neighbor.  

A pessimistic approach would warn us of 

  the conflict between works righteousness 

    and faith alone, 

      justification by faith vs. justification by works. 

A simple summary of reality says that 

  we need faith AND works. 

Consider St. James, who said in his epistle, 

  "Tell me of your faith, 

    and I by my works will SHOW you my faith." 

      [James 2:18] 

Not limited by denominational lines, 

  these differences are deep within religious groups. 

The contrast is between hard liners and progressives 

  in any denomination or religion. 

Optimism says principle is on the rise. 

Pessimism says dogmatism will always prevail. 

Realism says it will be a struggle, 

  but the arc of the moral universe 

    will continue to bend 

      toward justice, toward principle 

        rather than toward dogma. 

The bend toward justice will not happen 

  without effort. 

It isn't automatic. 

It's natural, but we will have to work toward it. 

Part of the hard work will be looking clearly 

  on what has happened and what is happening. 

Good government will be able to help. 

There can be 

  a Truth and Reconciliation Commission 

    like those in use in other countries 

      that have gone through trauma and danger 

        resulting from bad government. 

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, 

  with his close ally, Nelson Mandela, 

    established the Truth and 

      Reconciliation Commission in the 1990's 

        to enable the newly fully democratic 

          Republic of South Africa 

            to move on from the horrors of apartheid. 

Nancy Pelosi recently promised a commission 

  like the one that investigated 9/11 

    to look into the events around the attempt 

      at sedition and insurrection against 

        the U.S. capitol on January 6. 

Pessimism would claim that such commissions 

  make no difference at all in the unfolding of history.

Optimism would claim 

  that they provide complete resolution. 

The reality is that such commissions 

  are not final answers, 

    but they are at least the beginning 

      of a process of healing. 

The healing that we need as a nation 

  is not just wishful thinking. 

It can be a new beginning for us all, 

  an opportunity for transformation. 

I HAVE to believe at least in the possibility. 

Amen. 

So let it be. 

Blessed be.