The Joys and Concerns of Democracy
by Rev. Jane Page
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
From Churchill by Himself, 574
I’ve quoted Churchill and others in sermons I’ve done about Democracy (read this one), for indeed the results of the process sometimes make us wonder. Many of us were unhappy with the election results this past November. And yet, I still believe in Democracy. We just have to do a better job of helping to shift the culture in positive ways within the constraints of the will of the majority of the people in this last election. (We can’t even blame our electoral college for these results.) I think we’ve made some faulty assumptions along the way and must now consider the deep reasons behind so many people moving in this direction. We will do this and be better for doing so.
Now, another place we may have “Joys and Concerns” related to our democratic processes is in our UU association, congregations, boards, and committees. We are Unitarian Universalists and have decided as UU’s that even though it is messy, we make decisions together. That means you will not always have your views reinforced by the decision and neither will I. We all will need to listen to one another. Often, we are all in agreement. But occasionally, we are not. Those are the times that the group decision (based on the will of the majority) needs to be honored and respected by all within the association, congregation, board, or committee.
In recent years, our association struggled as we revised Article 2. And after much listening and sharing, the vote was held and we adopted a revision to our bylaws. Fortunately, most of the folks who had problems with the bylaws accepted these changes and we are moving forward. Indeed, we are seeing renewed enthusiasm as our children and we learn about the shared values we lift up – with LOVE at the center. Our congregations are also continuing to make decisions together, with support from most, and with others frustrated that the view they supported was not adopted. Hopefully, we can continue to listen to and understand the concerns of all of us as we move forward. We just need to remember that we do our work together – and make decisions together – and share our love and understanding together.
We are entering a difficult period in our history in this nation. May we, as Unitarian Universalists, demonstrate that we can work with a democratic spirit to spread our light and love to everyone.
With LOVE at the center – Always!
Jane
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