“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind,” writes Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay “Self Reliance.” With that sentence, Emerson lays the ground work for the way Unitarian Universalists think about the sacred today. Trust in our individual perceptions is foundational to our faith.
The ‘integrity of your own mind’ refers to making decisions without being afraid of how it will influence another’s opinion of you (not too fond of society it seems); the ‘sacred’ part refers to this ability (of making decision with integrity) being an important one.
At the time, Unitarian Universalists realize that attitudes about the sacred are not entirely private: there is always a social aspect to them. It is not enough to care only about what I hold to be sacred. To enter the realm of the sacred, even within “the integrity of your own mind,” is to experience a sensibility that humankind has protected and cultivated for thousands of years.
We all possess the instinct to set aside something as sacred, to cherish it, and to protect it with our whole selves. We must make room in our world for others to do the same, even when we do not agree. The sacred is something we share, a bond that is varied in its expression but fundamental to our humanity.
Judith Meyer serves as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Santa Monica, California. Excerpt from “The Sacred” by Paul Rasor.