Life, liberty and the pursuit of harmony by Frank Pendola
Westerly Sun July 19, 2023 Viola Spolin, a genius of American Theater, has enormously impacted my career as a teacher and performer. Her words “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Harmony” have been my mantra, chant, and sometimes prayer. Harmony has been the guiding principle of my life. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, some protesters on our Post Office steps in downtown Westerly chanted, “No Justice, No Peace, No Racist Police.” People needed to voice their grief and anger. Many people stopped to talk; others stopped to argue. I felt unsafe and conflicted. Listening to the chant, I recalled the current chief of police as a young boy in my 6th-grade class. Was I calling him a racist? If our local police harbor racist attitudes, am I any less guilty or worthy of condemnation? I had often heard racist comments from adults in my youth. They stemmed from deeply embedded attitudes. Surely, I had absorbed some of these. My childhood religious training told me that certain “other” groups were to be avoided. Especially among church people, our identity often seemed to oppose “others” who lived outside our norms. I wish these attitudes were a thing of the past. As a singer, I have always been deeply moved by songs about Freedom and Justice. On Sunday mornings at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Bradford, I chant the Psalms at our sacred ritual. These poems/prayers were “old” when Jesus learned them as a boy. They have been and continue to be a significant part of my life as a human being and a Christian. Yet, some reflect violent, primitive attitudes and emotions toward the “enemy.” Others are so sublime the angels weep to hear us sing them. We all have, today, a great need for integration; for deep discernment to allow wisdom to shine through these polarities. For nine years, I have been part of a Christian contemplative community founded by Thomas Keating, an internationally renowned teacher. In the past, his Snowmass Interreligious Conference was a dialogue among the world’s great wisdom traditions including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Indigenous, and Islamic leaders. They shared their commonalities while respecting and honoring their differences. They met annually for twenty years. This is not a simple mix; a touch of Buddhism here, a dash of Taoism there, a bit of Christianity and a sprinkling of Native American wisdom to make it politically correct. No! That would result in a soup too weak to satisfy anyone for long. Meaningful dialogue for transformational results requires participants, deeply rooted in their own tradition, to be generous and able to appreciate what is true and divine in other traditions. This profound realization reminds me of a simple lesson I learned singing in church: If you can’t hear the person next to you, you’re singing too loud! What does this have to do with Westerly? Finding harmony where there is strife and division is essential to every friendship, every family, and every community. We are in desperate need of Peacemakers. Making peace requires a commitment to hard, long, taxing work. Peace lovers are a dime a dozen. They typically want to preserve personal comfort and security. They do not like or want to “rock the boat.” Our boat needs rocking. Three years ago, when the founders of ARC began to organize peaceful protests,, born in grief and anger, on the Post Office steps, we slowly became witnesses to peaceful solidarity. They are an expression of hope. Members are encouraged to become involved in our town government, show up, speak up, and volunteer to serve. One example has been to urge our School Committee to revisit Policy No.1032 guidelines for civil discourse in public commentary because it’s so easy to be considerate toward those who agree with us, but so challenging to be civil toward those with whom we strongly disagree. Another is ARC’s championing the equity audit of the Westerly School Department which will strengthen decision- making in the best interest of all students moving forward. I see ARC as Peacemakers in our community and world. And I see in them a genuine “hunger and thirst for peace and justice.” I am proud to be counted among their members and friends. I invite you to join us. All are truly welcome to pursue life, liberty and harmony, an art in which all become One community, a Beloved community. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Comments are closed.
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This website is a publication of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. ARC is a community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization. ARC embraces multiculturalism to address racism.
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