Executive Director's Weekly Reflection

What are the preventative measures URI should be putting in place in response to a world dry, brittle and ready to erupt in the flames of hatred, division and destruction?

In late October each year, northern California, where I live, awaits the return of rain. The accustomed cool breezes off the ocean often give way to hot, dry winds from the central valley. Vegetation is crackling dry. The conditions are perfect for fires. And every October fires cause damage before they are extinguished, usually within a short period of time.

Rarely, the conditions are perfect for a fire that can't be easily extinguished and the results are catastrophic. On October 20, 1991 what started as a typical fire erupted into a firestorm. Fanned by strong, dry winds, the fire grew swiftly, generating its own winds, spreading with unimaginable speed and fury.

In the first hour the fire burned 790 homes. People fled for their lives, not always successfully. 1,000 firefighters from across California contained the fire, but not before 25 people died, and 2,449 houses and 437 apartments were destroyed, causing over $1.5 billion in damage.

This fire is on my mind these days because I fear we in the midst of a global firestorm that may cause unimaginable damage before it can be contained or its fury spent, in many places leaving only the charred remains of a world we thought we knew.

As with any fire, this one was sparked by an event that under different circumstances would have had little impact. In a different world, publishing 12 cartoons of Mohammed might have caused a small fire, but it would have been contained.

But in our tragically polarized world, too much like California in late October, this act has sparked a firestorm where violence begets violence at a terrifying pace. Here is a selection of one morning's headlines from the San Francisco Chronicle:  "Sectarian Violence Explodes Across Iraq;" "Murderous Day;" "Fearing the Worst;" "Major Acts of Violence;" "Ebb in religious violence reveals Nigerian carnage;" "FBI ripped tactics at Guantanamo;" "Fears of coup plot spur Philippine crackdown;" "France mourns Jewish man killed by gang of kidnappers;" "3 kidnapped Iraqi journalists found dead, riddled with bullets;" "Shrine attack
reverberates through Muslim world."

I want to be clear. I am not attributing all of this violence to the publication of 12 cartoons. They are more a symptom of what's wrong than the cause. I am simply saying that our world is dry, brittle and ready to burst into flames at the slightest provocation. In these highly charged times, it is foolish, even deadly, to engage in an act of provocation. 

The level of destruction from the 1991 firestorm could have been prevented if people had been more conscious of the threat and taken preventative measures - built houses that were more fire resistant, cleared away dried brush, developed an early warning system with effective communications, ensured adequate fire-fighting resources. Since the firestorm, these preventative measures have been implemented.

What, I wonder, are the preventative measures URI should be putting in place in response to a world dry, brittle and ready to erupt in the flames of hatred, division and destruction?

Taking our Charter seriously and sharing it as guidance for relations among people of different faiths is certainly one. Opening up lines of communication with people of other faiths and their communities in ways that model mutual respect and a desire to come to know more about each other is another. Still another might be to take to heart the wisdom of the Native Americans who said the following in establishing the government of the Iroquois Confederacy:

"The Lords of the Confederacy of the Five Nations shall be mentors of the people for all time. The thickness of their skin shall be seven spans -- which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive actions and criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will and their minds filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people of
the Confederacy. With endless patience they shall carry out their duty and their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodgement in their minds and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation."

Easier said than done, but this is our work.

My dear brothers and sisters, I daily take great comfort and inspiration from feeling my connection with all of you - those I know personally and those I don't. And, being part of the URI community, I feel a tremendous challenge. Our world needs URI to be the best we can be.

So I invite you, in response to this message, to share your thoughts about the best URI can be to counteract the conditions that have our world so ready to erupt into violence. What best practices, what teachings, what rituals can we share with each other and the world in this time that seems so much like late October in Northern California?

I welcome, indeed, I urge offerings from our CCs around the world. What works for you that the rest of URI and our world would benefit from knowing about?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Rev. Charles Gibbs
Executive Director