Among the seven Principles that covenant Unitarian Universalist congregations, the seventh holds a unique and expansive place: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part." This statement is both a spiritual affirmation and a profound ecological and philosophical truth claim, serving as a foundational ethic for modern religious naturalism. To understand its depth is to explore its scientific underpinnings, its theological implications, and its urgent call to ethical living. At its core, this principle moves beyond a mere acknowledgment of nature's beauty to assert a fundamental ontology of relationship. It posits that existence is not a collection of discrete, independent objects, but a dynamic, interconnected process. Is this true that all existence is interdependent? From a scientific perspective, evidence abounds. In ecology, the concept of the food web illustrates how energy and matter flow through systems, where the loss of a single s...
I scream into the darkness, but…
My plea echoes and dissipates.
I claw at my itchy skin until it bleeds.
A nauseating odor lingers in the air.
Where am I, and how did I get here?
The last thing I remember…
I boarded the crosstown train.
A stranger boarded at the next stop and…
Entered the car in which I was travelling.
I was comfortable, so I fell asleep.
I dreamed I was poked with a shot;
However, upon consideration of my…
Current situation, I may not have been…
Dreaming—half awake and half asleep.
Why would anyone kidnap me?
I believe I am being held in a basement.
The air smells of mildew and fabric softener.
My eyes adjust to the darkness.
A sliver of light is a laser beam…
Cutting through the thick darkness.
I can see a little more now…
Than I could before.
There is a staircase leading up to…
A padlocked door—I’m trapped!
Keep calm and think clearly.
The door opens.
A rotund man stands in the doorway…
With a shotgun—
Over his face is a ski mask.
He says, “Your ransom has been paid.”
He puts a black hood over my head.
I cannot see anything.
I can hear 3 men’s voices.
They drive me for quite some time.
We stop.
One of the men pull me out…
Of the van—gravel crunches underfoot.
He leads me forward for a bit.
He stops me and removes the hood.
“Oh, thank God!” comes my brother’s voice.
Three men step forward.
Two lead me back to safety.
One gives the kidnappers a duffle.
I am now sitting with my brother…
In the back seat of a hummer.
“Are you okay?” My brother asks.
“I am now. Thank you.”
“Are you hungry, bro? I’ll bet you’re hungry.”
We stop at an Ihop, and…
I say to our server, “I’d like the all-you-can-eat pancakes please.”
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