Soul Force

How Are the Children?

Sue Kirby, Promise the Children

Second Parish in Hingham, www.secondparish.org

October 16, 2011

Reading: How Are the Children? -- Kasserian Ingera

Among the most accomplished and fabled tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Masai. It is perhaps surprising then to learn the traditional greeting that passed between Masai warriors. “Kasserian ingera” one would always say to another. It means “and how are the children?”

It is still the traditional greeting among the Masai, acknowledging the high value that the Masai always place on their children’s well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer, “all the children are well.” Meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail, that the priorities of protecting the young, the powerless, are in place, that Masai society has not forgotten its reasons for being, its proper functions and responsibilities. “All the children are well” means that life is good. It means that the daily struggles of existence do not preclude proper caring for their young.

I wonder how it might affect our consciousness of our own children’s welfare if in our culture we took to greeting each other with this daily question: “and how are the children?” I wonder if we heard that question and passed it along to each other a dozen times a day, if it would begin to make a difference in the reality of how children are thought of or cared for in our own country?

I wonder if every adult among us, parent and non-parent alike, an equal weight for the daily care and protection of all the children in our community, in our town and state, in our country. I wonder if we could truly say without any hesitation, “the children are well, yes, all the children are well.”

What would it be like … if religious leaders began every worship service by answering the question: “and how are the children?” If teachers began every class by answering the question: “and how are the children?” If every town leader had to answer the same question at the beginning of every meeting: “and how are the children? are they all well?” If every business leader and corporate executive had to answer the same question at the beginning of every workday: “and how are the children? Are they all well?” Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear their answers? What would it be like? I wonder . . . I wonder . . ..

Let’s begin here and greet members and friends in our Unitarian Universalist Congregation with and how are the children? And before we can respond to one another “all the children are well”, what actions must we take in this congregation? In our community? In our state? In our Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations? In our country?

And how are the children? Working together, may all our children be well.

Sermon: How Are the Children? - Sue Kirby

Once upon a time there was a small village sitting next to a beautiful flowing river. Everyday the people went down to the river to bathe and wash their clothes. One day Maria, a young woman from the village saw a baby floating by – struggling in the water. She jumped into the water and rescued the child and not knowing what else to do she took the baby home.

Maria’s neighbors, being kind and generous, helped her to care for the baby as they marveled at the vitality and joy brought to the village by the young spirit. A short time later two more babies where seen and rescued as people worked by the river. Others helped to feed and clothe as Maria had. And as time went on the village people rescued more babies and young children. This was extremely disturbing to the people and they decided to gather together and use there energy a set up an orphanage to care for the babies.

One day Maria, who had been instrumental in organizing the effort, stood up in a planning session and asked the good and generous people of the village. “Why do you suppose there are so many babies lost to the river? I think we need to go up the river to find the cause. Who will go with me?”

“I can’t,” said one villager, I’m too busy making meals for the babies. I can’t,” said another, “I have to write a funding grant and I have a deadline.” “I can’t,” said another, “I’ve just been elected chairman of the board, and I have important responsibilities to the orphanage. I’ve never been out of the village, said another. I’m too afraid.” Eventually Maria found some villagers who agreed to go with her and bring back news to the village about what they could do to stop they increasing influx of children caught up in the river.

I am here today in part to talk about a troop of Unitarian Universalists who have banded together like Maria’s crew to look into the source of this country’s persistent problem of childhood poverty and come back to report the situation and organize group activities in Unitarian Universalist churches so that can have an impact on the deepening crisis of childhood poverty.

In the US we declared a war on poverty in the 1960’s and clearly we are loosing. According to The Children’s Defense Fund’s The State of America’s Children 2011, using numbers from 2009 – the number of children who fell into poverty between 2008 and 2009 was the largest single-year increase that has ever been recorded. Globe reports that Boston Medical Center is seeing a increase in malnourished children and the back lash against health care reform and threats to Medicaid are encouraging restrictions at the state level to access to health care for low income families with children.

Some of our neighbor’s families are underwater and need our help. Many Unitarian Universalist churches and individuals are extremely generous and work hard to make sure pantries and soup kitchens are stocked and volunteers are on hand. This is wonderful and necessary. A great show of faith. Bless you.

We here at Promise The Children are asking you to take another step - to travel up the river with us and get to the source of this tragedy or at least to the institutions that are creating policies that impact the solutions. Right now the scene in Washington Dc where our policies are made is particularly disturbing. The programs that have been put in place to protect the poorest children – Snap, WIC, Head Start, Medicaid and more are on the chopping block in the name of deficit reduction. They have already been strained with 30 years of shrinking resources and neglect.

Promise The Children has joined with other churches on a campaign to create a Circle Of Protection around our nation’s children in this crisis. We are working to remind our leaders that our little ones are sacred - all of them - there are no throwaway children. They all need nutritious food to grow, they need schools to learn, and they need medical care and opportunities to thrive NOW – if we are to insure their future. Love has no austerity program when it comes to children. We are the wealthiest people in the history of mankind. Our abundance is the envy of the world. We must raise our voices over how that abundance is to be distributed.

We can’t get so busy feeding the poor that we forget to ask why there are so many. We can’t wear ourselves out bailing out the boat that we have no time to repair the design so that our boat is sea worthy. At the very least we can get the ear of the captain and raise our concerns and ideas about turning the boat around even while we pull the babies out of the water and make sure they are safe and dry.

Today I have with me COP post card that will be delivered to Senator Kerry a member of the super committee now meeting in Washington to cut another $1.2 trillion from our deficit. We are asking that children’s programs be given a priority in this process. On October 26th we will meet with his staff and hold a vigil at his offices down town. If you can come, please do. If you work down town it is right near government center. Please join us. Sign a post card at coffee hour today and it will be delivered with hundreds of others that day. Join us – the more shoulders to the wheel – the better we can turn this situation around.

Become a children’s advocate – sign up for our email alert network. Visit our website.

I’d like to thank you for having me here today. As Unitarian Universalists, we have always been at the forefront of progressive issues from slavery to immigration rights. I am so pleased that you have dedicated a Sunday to children. We must do whatever we can in order to build our awareness and open our hearts – and lift our voices. Bless you.

I’d like to close with the first stanza of a poem by Drew Dellinger, “Hieroglyphic Stairway:”

It’s 3:23 in the morning, and I'm awake because my great-great grandchildren won’t let me sleep.

My great-great grandchildren ask me in dreams,

What did you do while the planet was plundered?

What did you do when the Earth was unraveling?

Surely you did something when the seasons started failing,

as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying?

Did you fill the streets with protest when democracy was stolen?

What did you do once you knew?[1]