In Search of Our Beloved Community

Middle school kids have loads of loud energy and my normal school life is a loud affair.  Often, the end of the day school day finds me in search of some stillness and quiet.  But the pandemic has rather reversed that calculation and so music provides company as I work.  I listen to many types of music but reserve a soft spot for the songs and artists who feed my soul.  U2 is on that list.

There is a U2 song, “One,” that I have always loved.  It’s a sad song, about a break-up, I suspect, but there is a line that recurs in the chorus about love and humanity that doesn’t feel broken or lost or hurt.  To me, it feels like a mantra of hope: “we get to carry each other.”

Not “have to.”  

Not “must.”  

Not “should.”  

But “get to.”  I’ve thought of that line so much over the years but especially this year, when the pandemic has meant that so much feels uncertain and different; even at times careening out of control.  When I’ve felt powerless in the face of it all, I’ve reminded myself to find the strength to carry someone else.

Martin Luther King Day is always a chance to remind myself of what matters, what’s truly important, and how we must all do our part for justice in the beloved community.  I think Dr. King believed that we must carry each other; and that we get to do so it is an honor as much as it is a duty.