Submission 105 Jonathan Tweet University Unitarian Church (Seattle, WA) 8231
What is your suggestion or idea?
Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent worth and dignity and worthiness.
We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and moneyresources to build and sustain fullymore accessible and inclusive communities.
What is the reason for your amendment idea?
““Worthiness”” makes the text sound like it was written by people who were overthinking things.
““Fully”” accessible and inclusive has never been done in the history of the world, and there’s no plan for how to make it happen in our community.
There was a lot of resistance to the term ““money”” in the feedback sessions last fall.
Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?
There was a lot of resistance to the term ““money”” in the feedback sessions last fall, and I’m reflecting that.
UUs online have volunteered ““worthiness”” is an awkward formulation, and I’m reflecting that. The fact that the commission has to spell out why they chose that word demonstrates that readers can’t understand on their own why they would have chosen that word.
I “fully” agree with the worthiness to worth change.
I have mixed feelings about the money/resources change, and would love to hear the A II Commission explain why they wanted the inclusion of money. While many UUs may be uncomfortable with it, maybe this is a place where we’re leaning into the “afflict the comfortable” concept.
As to fully/more I agree with your analysis that “fully” hasn’t happened yet, I think all of the principles and all of the values are about what we’re striving towards, so it’s okay to name things that haven’t been achieved.
We’re dealing with a past in which monetary worth was assigned to human beings. “Worthiness” is more explicit that we are talking about the quality of being worthy. Definition “quality of being good enough.” We are all good enough as we are. Worth can be monetized. People were and still are being monetized. That definition of worth is not the original intention; for people who have a history of their people being monetized. Worthiness can never be monetized. We are all worthy of love, respect, dignity, kindness, compassion, and care.