Paying Attention to Justice
Like many people, I have been spending time trying to make sense of things that make little sense. And that, for me, means listening to a lot of different opinions. For example, I am tracking what people are saying about why our nation has lost trust in our ability to make decisions together. So one of the many, many sources of information I have turned towards in the last months took me towards the idea that attention has become one of our most valuable commodities. And the ability to get attention–even what many would consider negative attention–is a source of power.
Power has a bad name and is likely to have an even more tarnished image in the years to come. Yet we know that power is just a form of energy which can be used toward many ends. For me, I want to see power directed towards making new forms of peace and justice. So for that reason, this week my attention will be on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We have so many events which will be happening to honor his legacy this weekend: my Monday is packed with them!
I know that turning my attention towards this precious source of inspiration will replenish my own sense of power. I will remember that many have come before us who have faced odds stacked against them. That many would say change would never come. That somehow change did. As Dr. King said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
As this new year has dawned, I have found it easy to be confused and disoriented. And quotes such as the one about the arc have seemed a little hollow. And yet I do see how important it is to pay attention to determination and not despair. So it will be good to spend some time paying attention to the moral arc. In the words of the Unitarian minister Theodore Parker, words made famous by the Rev. Dr. King: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”
Truly on this MLK Weekend 2025, I can say with utter sincerity that i do NOT pretend to understand the moral universe. However, if it is powered by attention than I will train mine on the heroic, wise and visionary acts of those who came before me.