The French have an expression, actually they have several. Two of which I really like. I am not a fan of "cherchez la femme" (look to the woman), but I do like "Faites attention à ce pour quoi vous priez, vous pourriez bien l'obtenir" ( Be careful what you pray for; you just might get it). But the one I am thinking about is: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" ( The more things change, the more they remain the same). I think that is my mantra as I enter full throttle into my seventh decade.
So many things have changed, you might say, and I have to agree. Banking is automated, you don't have to rush to the physical building to deposit your paycheck; it gets sent there automatically. You don't have to sit around waiting for that phone call; you just take your phone with you. Well, that can be annoying, but most people have their phones with them to keep them linked and to entertain them as well. You can buy your movie tickets form the comfort of your living room and even pick out the seat you want! You don't even have to go to a store to buy shoes, shirts, pens, paper of chocolate. Just as your prescription drugs can be sent to you automatically, you can satisfy that longing for Nutella by ordering it through Amazon. Heck, I even get my vegetables and fruit delivered every other week at a considerable savings over buying the same stuff at the supermarket in my building!
But there are some fundamental things that remain the same. And the major thing is human nature. We humans are predictable creatures. One thing that never changes is that we are wont to act on behalf of our own self-interests. It is defined as "regard for one's own interest or advantage, especially with disregard for others". And, it is true for almost all of us. If we had our druthers, we'd chose those outcomes that would be good for us.
We also like to take the path of least resistance. We often go along to get along. We like belonging, and we like security. When it come to our personal welfare we just don't want to rock the boat and are often silent when other express views that we may not agree with, but seems to just not really matter in the scope of our lives.
We often let the status quo stay as it is, especially if it benefits us. We may understand the role that "male privilege" and "white privilege" should be addressed so our society becomes more equitable. But if we are on the beneficiary end of that scale, we might not be inclined to speak up or call it out for allowing a status quo to exist that is intrinsically unfair to a large percentage of our society.
Yesterday I took part in an interesting discussion at one o the churches I serve as deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It was about acknowledging the history of the founding of the congregation. A congregation that I have come to dearly love. It's a great community of faith, but they were struggling a bit with a charge from our bishop over the compliancy of the Episcopal Church and its predecessor, the Anglican Church in the enslavement of people of African decent. Many of our congregations whose roots are deep in the colonial history of the United States benefited from the wealth accumulated by members who were slave owners. In our particular case, we have definitive proof that a majority of the founding vestrymen, including the rector/priest/pastor, owned slaves. And we know that the skill and craftsmanship of slave labor was used in the construction of the very first wooden chapel that housed the original congregation.
So, we sat on Sunday and talked about it all. And yes, there were moments that we looked around the room and saw no one who was not a descendent of white European ethnics, no people of color in the room. Some folks noted that these events happened almost 200 years ago when their own ancestors were struggling against their own oppression. They were correct. Others understood that slavery was definitely evil, but we could not go back and change it. They were correct. Still others mused if placing a plaque4 outside the church, perhaps near the transferred cornerstone with the names of the vestrymen and slaveholders who established the congregation, without any acknowledgement would be a hallow response. And they were also correct. So, what did we decide?
We'll continue the conversation. We'll take a closer look at our history and present a resolution at our annual meeting making an informed decision on the issue of acknowledging our past, honoring all those who helped in establishing this congregation and striving to be a welcoming community of faith. Moving our human nature to let go of the status quo, leaving the path of least resistance to others, and setting self-interest behind and think others with whom we can share and expand this community of faith.
