Welcome to Practicing Resistance
by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle
...it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.
– Marge Piercy, from The Low Road
Out of all our themes this year, resistance is among the most complex. But it also may be the most simple.
Let’s start with the complexity.
Sometimes resistance involves bravely picking up a picket sign; other times it asks us to courageously put down our masks and allow who we really are to see the light of day. Sometimes it involves defeating the enemy; other times it’s a matter of noticing that treating “them” as the enemy defeats us all. Often the path of resistance asks us to stay in it for the long haul, but just as often it’s about taking that first tiny step. Most of the time it requires us to fight to the bitter end, and yet there are many moments when we need to stop resisting and let go. Resistance certainly takes the form of speaking the truth to power, but often what the world needs even more is for us to speak the truth in love.
Bottom line: practicing resistance is tricky business and takes multiple, even contradictory, forms.
But beyond this complexity lies the simplicity of Marge Piercy’s words. In all cases, she reminds us, practicing resistance starts when we say “We!” For instance, the power of our picket sign resides in the fact that it hangs alongside those of others. Being who we are usually begins with another person loving us for who we are. Both the long haul and our first courageous step are made possible by reaching out to receive a helping hand.
It’s all one big reminder that none of us resist alone.
Or maybe what really needs to be said this month is that none of us have to resist alone.
Yes, we certainly need pushed and prodded this month. But maybe what we need most is to be reassured. Reassured that when the road gets too treacherous and the forces against us grow too big, others will be by our side. Maybe it’s not more courage that is required, but more connection. Maybe what we really need to hear is not simply “Resist!” but “I will resist with you!”
Maybe it is as simple as that.
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WUU is part of a network of Unitarian Universalist congregations that explore the same monthly theme, serving as a web of connection through sermons, reflections, children’s programs, and the arts. Soul Matters resource packets encourage reflection on the theme throughout the month. WUU members can access Soul Matters packets in the Member Area of this website and through Breeze, our online directory. Visitors can contact the office to request packets.