Writer and author Julia Rocchi had a recent essay that spoke to the challenge so many of us face in today’s world. “As social media has combusted over the years in its breadth and depth of outrage,” Julia wrote in What I Value, What I Believe, “I rarely say anything ‘out loud’ on those channels about where I stand on any given issue.” She gave several reasons for holding back:

“Social media doesn’t allow nuance or lend itself to civil discourse, rage burns me out, too many fresh crises occur daily to keep up, and my own ignorance around many issues feels so profound I’d rather say nothing than add to the fleeting, braying chorus.”

Julia’s frustrations seem both reasonable and defensible. Since I made a conscious choice not to be on social media, perhaps that stance is not surprising. But more than simply eschewing the race to the bottom of the rage machine, I also admire Julia’s thoughtful response. She wrote that as she continues to “ponder and explore” what exactly is her lane in this world, she recognizes that deeply held values guide her beliefs . . .

“and that articulating them to myself will further ground me in them. Further, the clearer and firmer I am in where I stand, the better I can model loving actions for my children.” 

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ARTICULATE WHAT YOU VALUE AND BELIEVE

Instead of trying to respond to every fresh horror, Julia captures—in her “own little corner of the internet”—the principles that animate her life. How will she know she’s succeeded in communicating them? “When I act in accordance with these values, none of you will be surprised.”

Everyone’s values and beliefs will differ, but I found Julia’s statement to be thoughtful, moving, and motivating. Her list of values is short: Creativity, Communication, Compassion, Generosity, Grace, Change, Relationship. She adds a “sampler platter” of beliefs, and I’ll simply highlight one that especially spoke to me and encourage you to read her entire essay to see the depth and grace of her convictions.

“I believe that every person is a child of God, made in God’s miraculous image. Full stop. No exceptions. A belief that extends to mean that God loves and cherishes each person as they are. Full stop. No exceptions. Which decisively proves I am not God, because living out this belief and treating each and every person with grace and dignity will be the hard work of my pitiful lifetime. Full stop. No exceptions.”

Once you’ve read this essay, I encourage you to revisit my 2023 Author’s Q&A with Julia after the publication of her book AMEN? Questions for a God I Hope Exists. We could all benefit by taking the time to think through and articulate what we value and believe.

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STAND TALL AND CONNECTED

In a recent column in the Los Angeles Times, author Anne Lamott also had helpful thoughts for those of us trying to figure out our lane. She wrote,

“It is hard to move through the dark. You have to go slowly and, probably, horribly, rely on others. This is what I told friends who felt terrorized by what is happening—we go slowly, stick together, and do what Mother Teresa said—instead of great things, of which we are incapable, small acts of great love.”

Near the end of her essay, Lamott quotes Rebecca Solnit, a writer who is a hero to both of us.

“To me, the grounds for hope are simply that we don’t know what will happen next, and that the unlikely and the unimaginable transpire quite regularly.”

I agree with Solnit about hope. I also know that our history is different from that of Russia, or Germany, or Hungary. One of my beliefs is that we have a deeply rooted civil society and potent muscle memory of resisting authoritarianism. It may take us a long time to get there, but I want to keep reminding myself, as the late David McCullough said, that a sense of history “is an antidote to self-pity and self-importance…history is a lesson in proportions.”

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THE NATURE OF ALL THINGS INCLUDES CHANGE

A recent note from the Center for Spirituality in Nature had a helpful reminder as we enter a new season.

“September offers signals of the shifting season. They can be subtle or striking. With these signs comes an important reminder: the nature of all things includes change. As we emerge from the sun-soaked embrace of summer to the cooling temperatures and fading light of fall, this month holds the truth and wisdom of change, a gift we might embrace this autumn with purpose and grace.”

More to come . . .

DJB

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NOTE: Instead of writing long personal pieces about the times we live in, I’m returning to the original idea of my “Weekly Reader” series to highlight a small handful of recent posts from my newsfeed where I feel the authors have important points to make. Most will include short links to posts I found interesting and want to share. Others, like today’s post, will dive deeper and will (hopefully) link together thematically.

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Photo: A French fall image by Mathieu Odin from Unsplash