Congruence.

Congruence: the state of agreement or coming together.

If I hold fast to anything from both of the J-term courses that I've taken during this break, it will be a value of congruency in thought, word, and deed.

What help is have good thoughts and talking about how to make the world better when I'm not out in the world, actively doing something to change things?

A privatized ethics person thinks that because they are individually ethically moral, they do not have an obligation to stand up against injustices that they didn't cause.  5 months ago, I participated in a Cultural Competency Training and realized that no, I did not cause the oppression that is present in the society that live in but it is part of me.  I am perfectly fine with owning the human collective of pain in this world and tapping into the suffering of the other, but am I fine with owning the human collective of violence?

I am a privileged white female who was able to have a great education, be treated with respect, and be provided with many opportunities.  This is because people before  me have fought for my freedom, people have been enslaved by people who share my skin color, and people have been in poverty while I grew up with a guarantee of a hot dinner every night.

Did I ask for this privilege? No. Did I get it anyway? Yes.  Do I live every day with this privilege without appreciating it? Yes.  Do I want to be a part of war, racism, and oppression? No. Am I a part of this community that uplifts hatred and blood being shed? Yes.

Therefore, that violence and hate is part of me.  I own my piece of this puzzle and I know that I have the power to make a difference by accepting that the sins of the community I live in are my own.  In this acceptance, I take control of how I behave within this community and take a stand in saying that oppression, class warfare, racism, and war are not alright with me.  I refuse to be a bystander and I will break down the walls.  Getting through the barriers of discrimination can be as simple as a smile or a handshake.  Sometimes it will mean volunteering, protesting, and being where other people are afraid to go.  But always it will be love.

I think radically and I talk radically but what good does that do if I don't act radically?  What use is ethics if it isn't lived out?  Congruency is beyond necessary when it comes to living out the mission that you and I are called to do.  Tikkun Olam: We are called to repair the world; we are called to pick up the pieces and put them back together.  Ready? It's gonna be legen....wait for it....