Taking It Home
May your life preach more loudly than your lips. — William Ellery Channing
In Today's Workshop...
We talked about the moral arc of the universe bending toward justice with our help and the help of those who came before us. Some of those were our Unitarian Universalist ancestors. We heard a story about an African American Unitarian ancestor who bent the arc toward greater freedom for blacks and women. We looked for evidence of justice work in our congregation. We learned about Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Needs and how justice means trying to help everyone get access to resources to meet those needs.
Our Unitarian Universalist Heritage
- Aside from your commitment to being a justice maker, how else does your life reflect your UU heritage? Do you have a chalice at home? Does your family say grace at meals or prayers at night? Do you own chalice jewelry? Do you sing UU hymns at home?
- Were your parents or caregivers raised UU? If so, ask them what keeps them connected to this religion. If not, ask them what attracted them to this religion.
- Read more about Frances Harper, John Adams, Christopher Reeves, Susan B. Anthony, Rachel Carson, and Theodore Parker. Check out books from the library or visit these websites: Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography, Famous UUs, and UU Women's Heritage Society.
- Find out what others say about Unitarian Universalism by visiting the YouTube Unitarian Universalist channel.
- Explore other heritages that you share with your family. Discuss those ethnic, cultural, and recreational heritages. Celebrate those by creating a special meal using family recipes or renting a foreign film (with subtitles) from a country of origin. Did your grandparents grow up playing cricket or soccer or bowling? Have a family tournament!
Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Needs
- Ask your friends about their basic needs. Do their needs fit neatly into Maslow's chart or do you need to add levels?
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a very popular psychological tool; there are YouTube videos illustrating the pyramid, such as this one, in a humorous way.
- Take this quick self-test from Business Balls to find out how your basic needs are being met.
- Remember to use the guide to note experiences you have this week with justice or injustice. What did you see? Were you able to help? If not this time, will you be able to help in the future? How will you enable yourself to be ready to help in the future? Do you need the help of others?
- If you are keeping the Justicemakers Guide electronically, remember to add Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to your copy.
- As you hear or read about injustice, refer back to the tools in your guide. Ask, "Who's basic needs are not being met?" Ask whether you have the same needs and how that need is being met. Is it possible to help others meet their needs in the same way? Add your thoughts to the guide.