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The Sacred Web: Unitarian Universalism's Seventh Principle and the Ecology of Existence

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...
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"Inferiority Complex" a poem by Charles Anthony Hood

 

Motivate yourself to succeed.

Say, “I can do it. I know I can.”

Do you believe it?

I know there is something…

Remarkable about you.

 

There is something about you…

That keeps you in my dreams.

I want you to know I think your…

Soul is beautiful and warm.

How can I tell you I love you?

 

Would you ever tell me…

That you love me too?

You’re out of my league.

I am not unaware of that.

I’ll treat you like royalty.

 

My counselor says I’m insecure.

I have an inferiority complex.

I set others above me,

Hold them in higher regard…

Than I hold myself.

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