“Love, compassion, gratitude, and the demands of justice call us to pay attention. As we pay attention, we bless ourselves, each other, our society, and the world.” -Amanda Udis-Kessler, from the reflection “We Are Called to Pay Attention”
How can you pay attention better today to your interdependence?
“It’s so easy to get lost in our fears; to feel all alone. It’s true that there are some fears we—you, me, everyone—must face solely on our own. Yet compassion is a choice to not allow all to be lost. Compassion is affirmation that we live in a shared world—and are better for it.” -Karen G. Johnston, from the reflection “Be Not Afraid”
How can compassion help us better understand interdependence?
“At some point in our life, we realize that to achieve our objectives…we must become a part of a community…. We then realize that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of the community, and the well-being of every member. Finally, we come to realize that the collective abilities of the community cannot only rehabilitate individual members, but in our collective efforts we can rehabilitate our community.” -Kavin, a CLF member incarcerated in Ohio
When have you experienced a rehabilitation through community connections?
“Sin occurs when we separate ourselves from the oneness of all creation. Since all is interconnected, our entire web of existence lies within the oneness of all…. We operate as a collective, and interdependence is a mutual belonging” -Charmone, an incarcerated member of CLF
How do you understand sin relative to the interdependence of all beings?
“Cultures of gratitude must also be cultures of reciprocity. Each person, human or no, is bound to every other in a reciprocal relationship. Just as all beings have a duty to me, I have a duty to them. If an animal gives its life to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream’s gift of pure water, then I am responsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human’s education is to know those duties and how to perform them.” -Robin Wall Kimmerer, from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
How can you practice reciprocity today?
