Sunday, November 8, 2020
Over the past several months the polarization in our society has deepened and not just because of the contentious election but because of other events that have seized our collective consciousness: police killings of African-Americans, the Black Lives Matter response which included violence as well, conflicts over how to continue living with the pandemic that has taken so many lives, to name a few.
Unlike some other countries, we Americans have not been as disciplined as we should be over addressing how we live during the continuing and escalating illness and death toll. Much of the reason I believe is that we have lost what is called social trust.
Our decline in social trust, the belief that other people can be trusted to do the right thing, has mirrored our loss of social capital, the effective functioning of people through interpersonal relationships, a sense of shared identity – not one just of race or class but one of shared values. It is what we need to recover as we address the issues that still face our Nation.
Prayer for the Day
Reveal yourself to us, Eternal Spirit, enabling us to have vision;
We need you to be visible to us as we are to one another.
Open our eyes so we recognize you in the faces of those among us
Whether they be within our community or beyond.
Open our hearts as we encounter our brothers and sisters,
Empowering us to make your care visible to the world.
In the name of him who is the instrument of your vision,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Values aren’t buses . . . . They’re not supposed to get you anywhere. They’re supposed to define who you are.
Jennifer Crusie, contemporary American novelist
A society that relies on generalized reciprocity is more efficient than a distrustful society, for the same reason that money is more efficient than barter. Trust lubricates social life. Networks of civic engagement also facilitate coordination and communication and amplify information about the trustworthiness of other individuals.
Robert Putnam, political scientist, author
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I will declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
Psalm 89:1–2