A fine poet, Wallace Stevens wrote once of The Blessed Rage For Order,
that means here, The Enduring Effort For Justice. Life seems unfair and
there appears a better way. Give us justice and there would be no cycle
of poverty; no child would die from malnutrition alone; no elder would go
without medicines needed to live well, die old with a glad heart; no able-
bodied person who wanted to work would be denied the right of dignity
that good work can instill. All would see the plain good sense of taxes
that assure quality of life for all; and all would be willing gladly to pay a
fair share, and receive with grace a fair return. Serious problems would
claim the efforts of serious people. This much is possible and could be
today.
Those whom we place apart from the just social order because they
somehow stress that order, would be granted every consideration for redemption and reeducation and reentry. Every inmate of every
nursing home, of every mental hospital, of every prison, of every AIDS
ward, and all who belong but are left off this list, would know the utter
respect due people of all the earth. No person would be separated from
authentic community, all would know and feel boundless love. This much
too is possible and could be today.
But life's not fair. Life is what it is. The wealth is available to afford the
possible. What's necessary is the political and spiritual will. Because the
will is missing, the litany of oppression and social fragmentation goes on: Ignorance. Joblessness. High crime. Low self-esteem. High birth rates.
Low child support. Patchwork aid. Helplessness. Hopelessness. Cycles of
poverty and class warfare. Rampant racism and faithism. If the end of the
list is indefinite, uncertain, four observations seem conclusive:
Leadership for justice best comes from the ranks of those most affected by
injustice; their organizing has to be a high priority, not out of charity but for
the sake of integrity.
The distance between poverty and privilege is not absolute and deep spirit
will not harbor injustice; injustice fundamentally harms everyone for it
shreds the social contract.
Resources for organizing those subjected to injustice can come from those
most able to help when the awareness of the latter is raised to embrace
compassion for the least able to help themselves.
So the cause of justice rises with the tide of consciousness.
Afterword
The original work, Urban Ministry, Social Justice and Transformations of Consciousness was part of an employment application for Greater Birmingham Ministries, October 7, 2003. It is here adapted, expanded under new title and dedicated to the mission of that agency.
