COVID, Stress, & How can we achieve peace and sustainability?
Just one example
How can we achieve peace and sustainability? United Religions Initiative (URI) may have an answer! Yes, and Humanists are included! URI’s website is accessible and translated into 90 languages. That is quite impressive!
On the other hand, let us first look at how the Covid-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down and continues to take a hard toll on many of us. Criticism abounds and often misdirected. We are also bombarded with the daily 24/7 news cycle with news of wars, actions of violence and misdeeds and finger pointing. How can influencers help move behaviors past the divisions along political positions, religious beliefs and just plain misinformation? If we are chained by disharmony and distrust, how can we rise above that? One of the big factors in play that I see on the national and global stage is intolerance of the other-- be it religious or cultural.
Yes – this worldwide pandemic has been a time of conflicting feelings and experiences: Fear, anger, loss of loved ones, heartbreak, impatience, confusion, economic impacts— all on the negative side. Gratitude, overcoming challenges, community reaching out to help others, more time to read or explore hobbies, kindness of strangers, less traffic, empathy, compassion, learning new technologies, personal reflection— on the plus side.
It is vital to remember that we are under immense economic and social strain.
In May, Nature—the leading international weekly journal of science posted an article exploring how the pandemic is teaching us key lessons about crisis, communication and misinformation, and is spurring changes in the way scientists study public-health questions. A very interesting read for sure.
We all want peace and prosperity right?
Promoting peace between all people and taking care of the earth is still a challenge, even during the best of circumstances.
Poverty eradication and sustainable development still beckons for our action-oriented attention in a world that is driven by consumerism and where widespread growth in income inequality touches every corner of the globe.
Is there a path to sustainable development where development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs?
Where do individuals, governments and all facets of society intersect to make this happen?
When we are faced with so many tasks in coping economically, loss of social support systems, dealing with uncertainty and anxiety, family obligations and work challenges, how do we make a difference?
I am still impressed by a global grassroots interfaith network that I first heard of a number of years ago. It was during the World Environment Day Celebrations when the United Nations selected San Francisco to host World Environment Day 2005
They have been working to bridge religious and cultural differences and work together for the good of their communities and the world. Their website is accessible and translated into 90 languages!
This Saturday, June 26, the United Religions Initiative will be celebrating 21 years since their founding. URI was featured during the 24th season of The Visionaries, (Summer of 2020) the award-winning PBS series.
URI’s effective Cooperation Circles are self-organizing groups of at least seven members from at least three religions, spiritual expressions, or indigenous traditions—including atheists and agnostics. Cooperation Circles work on two levels: by giving people of different backgrounds a chance to work together, and by tackling important community issues their members care about.
Want to learn more about United Religions Initiative? go to: https://www.uri.org/
Do check out the next events during World Unity Week starting June 25 and registering online at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/uri-events-during-unity-week-registration-158741079843