On Connectedness

In 1820 in Boston, Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing said, “Religion, we are told, is a private, personal thing, between the individual and God. His neighbor or the community must not meddle with it… I would maintain that religion is eminently a social principle… The social character of religion is not sufficiently regarded.”

As Unitarian Universalists, fundamental to how we approach being religious is a respect for the individual relationship between the individual and the sacred. But equally important is the idea that we are all deeply connected and that religion—at its heart—is both defined and advanced by understanding our relationships to one another and the world around us. For Channing, the social meant not only does our spiritual life connect us to the sacred, but it also connects us to each other. Indeed, religion invites the sacred through our relationships with each other.

As religious people, UUs are called to connection – theologically, emotionally, socially, ecologically, and physiologically. Connectedness inherently describes the relational nature of all things – living beings, the natural world, the Mystery, and the processes and laws which govern our Universe. Connectedness ranges from the interpersonal connection between two people to the “oneness of everything.” 

WOW! This idea of connectedness is literally everywhere… if you look! But sometimes we have to do our part to reveal it. Clearly there are times in life where we feel disconnected. Our spiritual life is the process of unveiling the bonds that have always and will always be there.

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This truth spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. exists whether it is considered positively or negatively. Because we are a community of hope that is dedicated to helping create a better world, understanding and embracing our connectedness holds tremendous challenge and possibility. We are all siblings sharing a common fate. Think about it. Feel it. Allow it. What does this mean for you? How does this move you? What does it require of you? What are the tremendous opportunities and implications of our connectedness?

Let’s find out together.