Piloting Faith: A world without handshakes

A Word for the Day...

I'm struggling to imagine a world where we don't shake hands. Grief has been a constant companion for us in this journey, but knowing that we won't be shaking hands does make me sad. It's one the earliest gestures we learn as children. It's a gesture that often signals welcome and connection.

That said, it is a curious gesture. People, men in particular, first started shaking hands in ancient Greece as far back as the 5th century BC as a gesture of peace. They would shake hands to prove that they didn't have a weapon. They were not a threat.

It's also a gesture that represents "making a deal." We shake hands as a form of agreement. As the mother of two sons, I remember my curiosity in watching our adult male friends work with our boys to make sure they had a firm handshake. "It was a rite of passage," they explained. The strength of a man's handshake - not too firm but not in any way soft - signaled the dependability of the deal and ultimately the legitimacy of the man. Our sons internalized this pressure and practiced their handshakes with us until they felt certain they knew how.

Perhaps it is those memories that now have me recognizing that many of us have been "shaking" on deals that have not served the common good well. We made a deal on patriarchy. We made a deal on capitalism. We made a deal on white privilege. We shook hands on them and bound ourselves to those values as a nation.

It matters that today we literally can't shake hands. We can't make those same deals in the same ways. Nor should we. We have to find a new way to make promises to one another. We, as a global humanity, are now in search of a new gesture to make new deals as we co-create our new world. This gives me such hope.

For my vote: I hope we adopt a bow. I would love to create a world with a bit more humility.

We are in this together,

Rev. Cameron Trimble
Author of 60 Days of Faith: A Devotional

Prayer for the Week

God of Life,
you have promised to be with us every day,
also in difficult days, like in times like these.
Give us
clarity in our minds,
strength in our work and discernment,
rest as we sleep,
peace in our minds.
Be with those
who need help
more than we do ourselves
help us to see what we can offer
from your love.

Amen.

- General Secretary of the World Council of Churches

Conversations for Wisdom Seekers in a Time of Global Awakening, beginning May 17