Food for Thought

April 30th, 2012

This is my twenty-fourth and final “Food for Thought” column as President of the

Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield. My thought in beginning this column was

that part of my leadership responsibilities was to stimulate thought and to stretch the

minds of a supportive community whose mission was spiritual and intellectual

exploration. I have attempted to provoke thought on some of the virtues and evils that we

confront in our time. I don’t know to what degree I have succeeded, but I have found the

experience both challenging and satisfying. I think that in our liberal religion all of us

benefit from the free exchange of thought. The give and take of our points of view keeps

our open search for truth more robust and circumspect. Our country and our world are

engaged in a plethora of passionate arguments, debates and even wars over differing

points of view. I admire passion and consider myself passionate about a range of issues

during my younger years concerning peace, civil rights, ethnic identity and other

disputes. It was the most exciting period of the long life span with which I have been

blessed. As I have matured in age and thought, I have gained an increased appreciation

for moderation. I haven’t lost my passion and still have a fire in my belly for a number of

struggles for peace, equality and humanism. Additionally, I have gained a healthy respect

for the imperfection of tunnel vision and uncompromising position taking. I find it useful

to consider the attributes, no matter how small, of opposing points of view. I have looked

upon this transition as not unique to me, but as a natural part of the life force (the

universe is evolving as it should). I have become acutely aware of these passages and

evolutions as I wrestle with the issues I have chosen to write about in this column. I have

witnessed it in the process of my leadership roles within the church. I have observed the

passion and impatience of our newer and younger members. I have experienced the

wisdom of our longer term members as well as their reluctance to change from that

which is more familiar and therefore more comfortable for them. In a perfect world of

moderation these normal impulses and conflicting points of view result in smart choices

for the church community as a whole and embellish our better angels. When we have

been unable to reach a reasonable consensus we disintegrate into self-centered interests

and petty squabbles.

In a liberal religion such as ours, devoted to a robust search for truth, critical thinking and

the circumspective exchange of ideas and thoughts are powerful tools toward attaining

our individual and collective transformations of faith and understanding. I know all

members have not always agreed with my points of view or topics, but I hope in some

small way my columns have stimulated some personal reflection and a broader regard

for an open-minded exchange of ideas. I hope that others will consider writing articles

and share their reality of hopes, values and feelings with the rest of us. The newsletter/

website is a wonderful additional way to communicate and exchange knowledge with

each other. I hope that moderated by patience, we retain our passion for social action

outside of the walls of the church. I trust that those who have been here longer will be

brave enough to take a chance on doing some things differently or at least give new ideas

every consideration while blessing them with your irreplaceable wisdom. It has been a