Sacred Activism Reading Group discussion

In chapters 3 and 4 Bucko and Fox interview each other about their own life stories. Bucko speaks of how the Reciprocity Foundation came out of the deep belief that "homeless youth deserved to live a rich, fulfilling, and engaged life" (49). Fox reflects on his spiritual mentors, such as Pere Chenu, Fr. Jerry O'Leary, and Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, all of whom helped him "grow and stay alive in so many ways" (77). Fox also says that, "Religion has wounded many people, and when we are young, we are often very vulnerable and can take in some toxic messages about life, about God, about hell and damnation, about obedience, about sexuality, about homophobia, about fear, and all the rest" (73).

What is your narrative of who you have become in your life -- and how, and why? What questions are important to ask and answer?

I would say that I have several threads of a story line that have landed me here, at age 48, in Berkeley, CA. The most prominent one right now is the narrative of being a parent to two young children. I was one of those Fox references as being "wounded" in many ways by conventional religion, raised in a Republican, tee-totaling, Southern Baptist household in which there weren't a lot of choices about how to live ones's life. Fortunately, I was a rebel at heart, and I managed to individuate and forge my own path. And happily, my family has since expanded their embrace of "otherness"and difference, to some extent. My role as a parent is much like Rilke advises lovers: to be one for the self for the sake of another (a paraphrase). The most important questions for me right now are: How can I offer my children freedom, while lighting their paths? And how can I refrain from projecting my fears and anxieties, which have grown in the last decade, from influencing them?

Kim