Friends. Friends are important. So much of the Hebrew and Christian Greek scriptures are about friends—community, koinonia, agape. Right now, it’s hard being separated from friends. In fact, it’s downright painful. Technology has helped—Zoom, Skype, and “ancient” technology like the phone. I’ve even renewed my letter writing, which went on hiatus since March (there is something about writing or receiving a letter that warms my heart). But none of those things can possibly replace the power and authenticity of being physically near someone.
Historically I have not been one to put a lot of stock into the whole “energy” concept. But, I think there is something to it. We each have an energy (also known in some traditions as aura) that we emanate into the world—sometimes it’s positive energy, sometimes it’s negative energy. As I have practiced trying to be more aware of others’ energy, I have grown more aware of my own energy. It forced me to ask how often my energy is neutral—when I’m not enabling to the negative energy, but I’m also not contributing to the positive energy. Which begs the question about some of the major challenges our communities and nation are being forced to engage.
Is Black Lives Matter positive, negative, or neutral? Our experience of BLM energy heavily depends on our perspective: do we perceive BLM taking something away, giving something, or making no change at all to our lives? For many white people, it is likely that BLM is viewed as trying to take something away. I believe we need to separate the violence and vandalism. There are opportunists who just want to be destructive, are anarchists, or who are trying to make BLM look bad. The BLM movement itself has renounced violence. We need to also differentiate between non-violence and protest. Protest is active, engaged, and vocal. Violence is committing harm through physical force, threat, or even language.
I remember participating in a protest that called for non-violence, but then promoted holding signs that say things like “F*ck Trump.” That’s violent. One individual was holding up a sign saying “Love your neighbor” while flipping people off on the other side of the street who were expressing an alternative view. I was wearing my clerical collar and gently placed my hand on his shoulder, pointed to the sign and his middle finger waving in the air, saying, “Don’t you think there is a contradiction in your messages?” He looked at me, then his sign, and said, “Oh, yeah.” So he put the sign down—not the response for which I was hoping.
When I was getting teased in school my mom taught me the old rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” It didn’t take long for me to realize that words do, in fact, hurt, and can actually cause much deeper and longer lasting wounds than sticks and stones. Words start wars. Words break up families. Words end friendships and can truly destroy communal cohesion or connectionality. While words can destroy, they also have the power to build up.
This brings me back to how we practice being conscious of the energy we’re putting out into the world, and recognizing our energy’s reverberating effects—including during Zoom meetings (am I really present or am I distracted and doing other things while half-paying attention?), on our social media like Facebook or Twitter (is my post, even if political, taking a jab or helping contribute to the pool of thoughts out there?), our day-to-day phone calls and texts, as well as at political protests and political conversations (is my behavior violent or truly non-violent, though it may be direct?).
I miss my friends. I miss being close to people I love and care about. I grieve what I see going on in communities around our nation and around the world. I can’t control others. I can only try to take control of myself and my behavior. I’m appreciative of the technology we have to help us stay connected even with physical distancing and masks. I’m appreciative of the value that social media offers (even with all the drawbacks and challenges). I am working on renewing my commitment to non-violent and positive energy in my life and seeking to share that with others, because that is what Jesus invites us into. And by practicing that, I believe we step ever closer to the kin-dom of God which has, indeed, come near.
I’d still love to have a virtual cup of coffee or tea with you! Let’s help each other create some positive energy in the world. I think the world could use it.