2nd of June 2020

Today's words and doodles have been created by Associate Chaplain, Geoffrey Baines.

Black and white doodle of the world and moon. Surrounding the white doodle of the earth and the moon is a black background with the text 'Our future is connection, it always has been'

In a labyrinth one can be farthest from the destination when one is closest […].* (Rebecca Solnit)

You will never regret offering dignity to others.** (Seth Godin)

The greatest human achievement will be to live together with mutual dignity and respect – by respect I mean deeply seeing and valuing the other.

Albert Einstein widened this to all of nature, stating this to be the human task:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.^

Green, blue and white doodle of the world and moon. Surrounding the green, blue and white doodle of the earth and the moon is a black background with the text 'Our future is connection, it always has been'

When we look back over history at our behaviour towards those who are different to us, we may feel we have made great progress, which we have, but the labyrinth-effect tells us that when we think we’re close to where we should be we’re probably not and must keep moving forward if we are to become fully human, something only possible together.

(*From Rebecca Solnit’s A Field Guide to Getting Lost.) (**From Seth Godin’s blog: Justice and dignity, too often in short supply.) (^Albert Einstein, from Brian McLaren’s God Unbound.)

This article was published on 7 Jul, 2021