Our church works to create what I think of as "Sacred Conversation Spaces." In these spaces, we practice listening deeply to one another and acknowledging each other's unique human experience. Most of these spaces start out with an explicit agreed-upon covenant, and often part of the covenant is to "Speak Up, then Step Back."
The idea is that we want everyone's voice to be present to the extent they are comfortable, and we do not want one person's passion or their comfort as a public speaker to outweigh thoughtful conversation or the voices of those who, for whatever reason, are not inclined to grab the soapbox.
Nearly a month ago I started writing these daily musings, and at that time I set for myself the rule that no matter how angry or frustrated I felt, I would strictly limit my voice. I would post no more that one personal reflection each day, and I would re-post no more than one other post that particularly moved me.
Limiting my output has definitely changed the way I write. It's a bit like that aphorism about "when you die, would you wish you spent more time at work?" -- if I have very limited space, I need to be choosy about what I say. If I write just one thing today, knowing it's an unpredictable world and there may be no tomorrow for me, do I want that one thing to offer hope or to offer pain? If I amplify one thing by re-posting, do I want to amplify anger or amplify compassion.
I'm sure I fail from time to time, but I hope in the last month I have shown that I chose compassion, I side with love*, and I believe rational conversation is a key ingredient in building those bonds of love and compassion that hold our society together.
* "Side with Love" is an interfaith public advocacy campaign promoting respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Its core issues of focus include, but are not limited to LGBTQ equity, immigrant justice, and racial justice.
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