For far too long, we’ve worshipped at the altar of “or.”
Mine or yours.
Right or wrong.
Black or white.
Good or bad.
Acceptable or unacceptable.
Republican or Democrat.
Gay or straight.
Rich or poor.
Friend or foe.
Your way or my way.
I believe in the power of “and.”
My dream & yours.
My faith & yours.
My marriage & yours.
My sexuality & yours.
My country & yours.
My ancestry & yours.
My child & yours.
My reproductive choices & yours.
My generation & yours.
My point of view & yours.
My freedom & yours.
It’s time to drop the “ors.”
This country is big, beautiful and bountiful. There is room for everyone. Our founders didn’t ask us to choose between life, liberty OR the pursuit of happiness. They knew there is no freedom in “OR” – only when we make room for “AND” can we all live peacefully.
So this June, when I’m ordained as an Interfaith Minister, I’ll wear a stole embroidered with different symbols of world religions. But perhaps the most powerful symbol on that cloth will be the ampersand.
Because I believe in the power of “and.”
(The above image is called “Ampersand Love” by Laura Pavlo and can be found here.)
This work by Teri Goggin-Roberts is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
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