Don’t Do Something, Pause and Moment, and Look Around

The story is told of the African American mystic Howard Thurman. It was a summer day, and young Thurman went berry picking. He plunged into the woods beyond his home, heedless of the time or place, filling his mouth and pail with succulent berries until his adventure was interrupted by a flash of lightning and crash of thunder. He stopped in his tracks, finding himself in the enveloping darkness, and discovered that nothing looked familiar. Lost, he panicked and was about to take off running, though he had no idea where he would be going. Then, he remembered the wise counsel of his grandmother, a former slave, who advised, “when you don’t know where you’re going, stop and look around.” And, so young Thurman stopped, and looked to the right and the left, and front and back, until a flash of lightning revealed something familiar. From then on, he followed the flashes of lightning one step at a time until he found his way home.

Don’t do something, pause, and stand there. We are so used to movement that such counsel is countercultural and goes against everything we are conditioned whether in politics or our personal life. The challenges are immense and come at us non-stop, and we are tempted to do something, say something, protest something, often before we have had the opportunity to get our spiritual and ethical bearings. In knee jerk, quick responses, we often fail to take into account our location and the people around us. We fail to recognize that our words or actions may hurt rather than help our cause.

Now it is clear that we need to address many significant justice issues: climate change, economic and food insecurity, voter suppression, racism, sexism, and homophobia. We cannot put off responding. And, yet, when we respond from a place of peace, calm, and reflection, our responses may be more nuanced, contextual, and inviting to those who are sitting on the fence, unsure of their own actions.

A statement on a bench at Kirkridge Retreat and Conference Center says, “picket and pray.” That is good advice, and sometimes we need to reverse the message, “pray and picket,” or “meditate and march,” or “contemplate and call your representatives.” Action against injustice must occur, but Howard Thurman reminds us that action grounded in reflection enable us to keep our spiritual center, and promote reconciliation, in conflictual situations. In moments of reflection, we may find that we can be prophets and healers, challenging injustice and also inviting those whose positions we oppose to conversation and common ground. In silence, there is strength, and unity. Let us pause, pray, and protest, aligning our hearts with the moral and spiritual arcs of the moment and the long haul.