The first of our Unitarian Universalist Principles which all congregations affirm and promote is, “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.” We humans are still unsure as to whether every person on the planet is of equal worth and deserves to have their dignity respected.

Most armed conflicts begin with the premise that someone else is of less worth than “we” are (whoever the “we” is). Someone has what we want and we deserve it more than they do. Or someone else has injured us so we must retaliate by hurting them without any consideration for their dignity since they did not respect ours.

For any country to protect its interests while caring for the worth and dignity of the people involved and the vulnerable bystanders is a nearly impossible needle to thread.

There is much we cannot fix, but we can engage in a stubborn imperative of hope. We can each live a life which demonstrates the belief in the equal, inherent worth and dignity of every person. We must not let anything take our certainty about that away!

In wisdom, grace & hope,
Rev. Ruth