Another World is Possible
Reverend Janet Parsons
Gloucester UU Church
May 11, 2025
Say these words when you lie down and when you rise up,
when you go out and when you return.
In times of mourning and in times of joy…
recite them in your sleep, here in the cruel shadow of empire:
Another world is possible. (from V’ahavta, by Aurora Levins Morales)
Another world is possible.
These days we are living in that ‘cruel shadow of empire’. There might not be tanks and troops in the streets, but certainly it feels as though there is a battle underway in the United States. It can be characterized in different ways; a battle for the soul of our country, a battle for the rule of law versus the cult of personality, a battle for democracy against oligarchy. But in a broader sense, this is a battle of identity, of conflicting visions, and especially, a battle of imaginations.
This month we are exploring our theme of Imagination. So often, we think of imagination as a quality that children possess, or the creative ones among us, those who can imagine a work of art or music or literature into life. But that is far too limited a definition, for imagination is present in everything we think about the future, about the world we want to leave for our children and our children’s children. According to the late American philosopher Russell Kirk, “Imagination rules the world.” He believed that it was through imagination, not through reason or knowledge, that we understand the world, and that imagination is the moving force in public life. (as discussed in Frank A. Thomas, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon, 2018, Abingdon Press, p. xxvii)
But this leads us to ask, ‘what kind of imagination?’ For there is more than one. Here are some examples. People can be caught up in ‘idyllic imagination’, a kind of pie in the sky thinking that leads us to utopian visions. Or there is the imagination of idolatry, when we find ourselves wanting to imitate figures from our celebrity culture of sports heroes, billionaires, and other types of successful stars. But what we are seeing most prominently these days in the United States is a battle between what is called ‘diabolic imagination’ and ‘moral imagination’.
Diabolic imagination is just what it sounds like: the emphasis on the dark side of human nature. We are witnessing a rapid slide toward diabolic imagination wherever we look: a government focusing on creating fear of one another, creating an obsession with walls and boundaries, which of course is about choosing who belongs and who does not, a government intentionally creating mistrust of information and science. There are no lofty ideals, no vision of justice and safety, except perhaps for a small number of people with the correct skin color and gender. It’s governing from a vision of fear and scarcity: that there is not enough to go around and those who have enough have to protect themselves from those who do not.
There is no greater expression of diabolic imagination right now on earth than in the Middle East. There is no empathy, no will to seek wisdom and understanding, no justice. The Middle East is a demonstration of what can happen when diabolic imagination prevails over moral imagination, and leaves humanity with no aspirations except for control.
But those with moral imagination are always fighting hard to counter those who would lead us using their diabolic imagination. Those people are fighting who believe in the words of our reading earlier:
“Imagine every detail of winning, the exact smell of the summer streets
in which no one has been shot…
the sparkling taste of food when we know
that no one on earth is hungry…”. (V’ahavta)
Moral imagination, then, is simply the ability to imagine a healthier, more just, and more loving world, one in which everyone has a place.
But isn’t that just utopia? The difference is that the moral imagination is always grounded in reality. Moral imagination begins with taking stock of a situation that is crying out for change – for example, the climate crisis, and searching for ways to imagine a healthier future, all while recognizing that we will continue to drive cars, and that the earth’s temperature continues to rise. Moral imagination doesn’t think about utopian quick fixes, such as one perfectly climate-controlled colony, but rather, undertakes the work knowing that the fruits of the labor might not be harvested in our lifetime.
Moral imagination has four qualities. (as discussed in Thomas, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon)
First, moral imagination seeks equality and equity for all people, and is willing to work to bring it about. There have been many disturbing developments in our national life in recent months. Possibly the one I find most upsetting is the threat to our safety net here at home: to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, and the cessation of foreign aid through the US Agency for International Development. I think of all those living on fixed incomes here in the US and all those whose quality of life has improved through the investments of USAID, and how vulnerable they are. And then I picture a billionaire standing on a stage gleefully waving a chainsaw around to symbolize the cuts he is making to those life-giving programs. Moral imagination asks us to find ways to stop these actions, to restore the dignity of adequate income and health care to all those who need it, to preserve the well-being of all.
The second of the four qualities is empathy. This is directly opposed to the absolute lack of empathy and cruelty being displayed as our government seeks to reduce funding, as well as the inhumane treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. Strengthening our moral imagination asks us to grow our capacity for empathy: to imagine the pain and suffering, to not look away. We are being asked to fight for the dignity of others, and to fight those voices trying to make us afraid and to keep us from recognizing the humanity of others. I think of the wisdom of President Franklin Roosevelt when he said that we have nothing to fear except fear itself. Fear can lead us to hatred. Fear can divide us, prevent us from looking at others with compassion and empathy. And in the words of theologian Howard Thurman, “fear dries up the spirits of creative thought.” (as quoted by Claudia Jimenez in her sermon Rekindling Moral Imagination, March 1, 2020, https://uuasheville.org/rekindling-moral-indignation/). Moral imagination calls us to resist fear and to respond with love.
A third quality of moral imagination is that it is rooted in many cultural sources of wisdom and truth. From the words of the Bible, to the Qu’ran, to the teachings of Buddhism and all other religious traditions come a consistent message that calls us to love one another, to care for the vulnerable, to welcome the stranger. Moral imagination requires that we absorb these messages, both ancient and modern, and use them to create a foundation within ourselves of ethical thought and behavior. We Unitarian Universalists need look no further than our seven Principles and our core values. Across all traditions and across all time comes a message calling us to act out of love and generosity.
Finally, strengthening our moral imagination emerges from studying arts and literature. We seek to elevate our spirits through the expressions of the gifted artists, musicians, and poets who show us what it means to be fully human, how to reach higher, to reach for the stars. It is these voices who remind us that another world is possible, and show it to us. Who would we be without Bach? And without the words of Mary Oliver, words such as these:
“Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.” (Mary Oliver, When I am Among the Trees, excerpt)
Four qualities: equality, empathy, wisdom and truth, and art and literature. These remind us of our better natures, and remind us to look beyond ourselves and our own desires, to put the world first.
Where is religion in moral imagination? Notice that it is not mentioned anywhere. Of course, there is no one answer. Different religious traditions can also be caught up in the battle between the diabolic and the moral imagination. If a religion is centered in fear, in retribution, in drawing boundaries that exclude, in worshipping idols, then they are unable to contribute to moral imagination.
But a religion grounded in an ethic of love and care must play an important role in awakening and nurturing our moral imaginations. A religion that works to create Beloved Community, to join forces with others working to create another, safer, more just world, contributes to moral imagination. A religion that asks people to grow spiritually, so that they may be able to recognize that the world is not as we would wish it to be, but that we have a role to play in creating a more loving one, is a religion that helps to grow our moral imagination.
On paper, Unitarian Universalism is a religion that contributes to the moral imagination of our society. We offer powerful language: our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all people, in justice, equity, and compassion for all, in our place in the web of all existence, and our belief in our core values that place love at the center of all our actions. But of course, those words need us to make them real and relevant, to embody them, to give them teeth. In the end, we are the religion, with our morally and ethically grounded actions which day by day add up to a kinder world. We are the ones who hear the moral imagination in our religion’s words and then act on them, by showing up, widening the welcome, working for justice, and caring for one another.
Remember the words of our poet:
Lean with all your being towards that day
when the poor of the world shake down a rain of good fortune
out of the heavy clouds, and justice rolls down like waters…
Hold hands. Share water. Keep imagining.
So that we, and the children of our children’s children
may live. (V’ahavta)
May we be these people. May our religion sustain and guide us. May we imagine the Beloved Community, a loving world, and day by day take the small steps needed to encourage the tiny flames of love and justice emerging from the embers. May we bring this better world to life.
May it be so,
Amen.
