This week, I’m at the Episcopal Convention in Louisville, KY, together with our Dir. of Youth Engagement, Hannah, and our Dir. of Media, Ean. We are meeting with current and prospective partner organizations and testing how PTU’s Potluck for Democracy initiative can serve communities in the social context of Louisville and that region.
As we talk to local leaders and visitors at the convention, we’re asking everyone this question: “What is dividing us?”
The most common response is “fear.” Fear of the other. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of what and who we don’t know. Fear of a dangerous world.
This leads us into a deeper conversation about fear. Fear, in my view, arises from the sense that what we love is being threatened. If we listen deeply enough to people’s fears, we can come to understand what it is they love. When we listen that deeply, and discover that we love many of the same things, we can often help each other to no longer live under fears’ terrible reign.
The next time you think you disagree with someone’s lifestyle or values, try and discover what it is they love underneath their fear. Then fear no longer has to divide us.