Richard Gilbert writes: ‘Sometimes I am so busy trying to repair a broken world that I leave my soul untended. Therefore, I will reflect on some soulful words from Unitarian poet e. e. cummings. It helps me remember that at 85 I need to ponder what this long life really means.’
Clifford Lincoln writes: Watching President Putin this week, as he delivered his frighteningly-negative decision about Ukraine, I could not help thinking about the immense good he could have done instead, by directing the billions in military hardware and preparations, towards the common good, and the welfare of his people.
I also thought of Russia, which I have visited on several occasions, and of a very special Russian individual who used the power of her indomitable human spirit towards the common good and the cause of the oppressed.
Marlene will give an update on the Wet’suwet’en Nation and on the Fairy Creek Old Forest Growth Campaigns. Why did the RCMP move in quickly on our protesters at the request of a private company Coastal Gaslink and the BC Government in the case of Fairy Creek; arresting more than 1,000 people and charging 400 with criminal contempt?
In contrast, they were slow to move against the protesters in Ottawa who wanted to overthrow the government. There, the police arrested 192 people and charged only 100 with mischief! Is there a double standard?
It is wonderful to have Timothy Byrnes “back with Lakeshore,” albeit from Florida, this Sunday. Timothy will present a discussion of the global dimensions of the Covid 19 contrasted with the colloquial aspects of nationalism, class, and ethnocentric attitudes. Timothy will also touch on the Canadian trucker protests as an example of ethnocentric attitudes, progressive sensibilities, and dissenting ideologies.
We believe in the never-ending search for truth but can we separate it from the warps and lies of life that have never been more confusing and all-pervasive? Can “pure truth” be isolated in our predominantly secular world? Is our search necessarily a spiritual one?
Aided by friends and family, Michael will systematically search for answers with you and will uncover some dark, contemporary pitfalls in the process.
McGill University Institute for the Study of International Development Professor Eliane Ubalijoro speaks to Lakeshore about sustainable future: The last two years have seen deep societal disruption, from COVID-19, to social justice protests, to floods and fires reminding us of the planetary boundaries we need to take into account in all we do. How do we truly co-create a sustainable and inclusive future that leaves no one behind and grows natural capital?
One feature of pandemic time is our continually shifting social landscape. Activities, events, appointments and gatherings are cancelled and endlessly rescheduled; schools and businesses close and reopen repeatedly. It used to be the snowy weather.
For one constant in today’s world, we need look no further than the timeless theme of love. Call it Universalism writ large — together let’s re-imagine what love looks like in our time.
It is always a joy to welcome Scott MacLeod back to our congregation. In the past, he has shared his animated early immigrant stories from three of Canada’s largest cultural communities as well as the heartbreaking tale of one of Canada’s indigenous peoples, the Abenaki.
Scott will now share with us his own story. He has created a series of self-portraits examined via grounded theory in an art-based research exploration of his identity and past, present and future. He collected nine cultural myths/gods of his predecessors that best reflect his own life history – what Joseph Campbell called the “hero’s journey.”
Mother, grandmother and traditional chief of the Kahnawake Bear Clan, Kawisente, speaks to Lakeshore about her Kanienkeha nation’s conception of the three levels of creation and, in particular, the rabbit dance story. She will also share the rabbit dance song with us and take questions after her talk.
Author Stephan Pappa states in his book ‘The Last Man Jailed for Blasphemy’ that Abner Kneeland, the Universalist minister, “was once famous, infamous, rather, but he has been lost to history; most people including Unitarian Universalists don’t know about him and should.” Linda Kneeland is Abner’s great-great granddaughter and she will tell us much more about her famous/infamous ancestor.
