Piloting Faith: Sometimes we hold onto traditions too long...
A Word for the Day...
The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet, eight-and-one-half inches. Why such an odd number? Because that's the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates. Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge. They, in turn, were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads. You might ask, “Who built these old rutted roads?
The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses."
Our modern rail system is built to accommodate horses' rear-ends. Who knew? And who cares? Sometimes we hold onto traditions that have long lost their usefulness. When this happens they become barriers to innovation and limit our capacity to expand beyond our past imaginations. Yet we rarely stop to ask why we accept the limitations we do.
What traditions are limiting you? Where are you blinded to your own imaginative power? What new rails, road and ruts can you carve in your life to take you down new paths?
The world needs visionaries who see new ways. Are you one?
- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight
Blessing for the Week
Every day we experience hunger and yearning:
for food, for approval, for respect, for love,
for meaningful work, for any and enough work,
for home, for family, for friends,
for health, for healing, for hope,
for the departed, for the newly arrived,
for the green trees, for the cool clean waters,
for shade in the heat of the day, and for stars to light the velvet night.
Every day we are invited anew to be thankful:
for food, for approval, for respect, for love,
for meaningful work, for any and enough work,
for home, for family, for friends,
for health, for healing, for hope,
for the departed, for the newly arrived,
for the green trees, for the cool clean waters,
for shade in the heat of the day, and for stars to light the velvet night.
Our hearts beating in liberating flight, we soar in gratitude for all the gifts we have in this day, in this lifetime of being, and turn again to share this bounty with all that is. Amen and Blessed Be.
- Naomi King, UUA Minister