“I don’t know if there is evil, but there is awful.”
This is a quote from one of my ministerial colleagues and it does a great job of describing how I feel about what is happening in the world. From the continued travesties we are hearing about in Gaza to the murder of Alexei Navalny, to the increasing signs of climate change, to the hateful bills coming out of state legislatures everywhere to the dehumanizing conversations about migrants, and beyond, it is way too easy to feel like evil is all around us.
Personally, I don’t believe that people are evil. I believe in the inherent worthiness of all people and that no one is born evil, but I sure do believe in awful. I believe that terrible things happen in the world and that people are capable of terrible things. The tension between these two ideas is one of the many reasons I need to lean on my faith in these difficult times.
It is important to me that in these difficult times, that I don’t just dismiss and “other” certain human beings just because I find their statements and actions abhorrent. My faith keeps me grounded in our collective humanity so that I don’t just dismiss other humans, my faith also keeps me grounded in my moral center so I can call out awful behavior when I see it.
In this time when I know so many of you are struggling with all the awful things in the world, I hope your faith keeps you grounded and centered as much as possible.