“Into the Wild”

I remember when the film “Into the Wild” came out, based on the book by Jon Krakauer, about a young man named Christopher McCandless who grew dissatisfied with the life he was encouraged and expected to live. McCandless grew up in the suburbs, and was accepted into a good college, but he still felt hollow inside. Inspired by theAmerican wilderness and explorers, he invented the alter ego “Alexander Supertramp” and set off forAlaska to live in the wilderness, surviving by his wits. The spoiler is that he didn’t survive long. But the book and film are about the yearning that I think is true for some of us: to go out into the wild, to meet something that cannot be managed or controlled, and find our home there.

I think we can enter “into the wild” in every situation, including the most domestic, and seemingly most predictable.The pandemic has certainly showed us that we are part of a large biosphere in every single place we inhabit, and one vulnerability highlights the total vulnerability, and yes, resilience of the entire space. When some might seem to desire a time that once was, a place of seeming predictability and control, I think there is another desire that can catch hold of us: to go further into the unknown, both spiritually, and in our daily actions.

McCandless may not have fully realized the risks he was taking by heading out into the wilderness alone. On the other extreme, some become so risk averse, that they seek fulfillment in control or illusions of security. I think it’s hard to find a middle way between these two extremes: taking risks, but knowing what we are risking, and preparing ourselves adequately for those risks.

This month we are going to explore some of those risks. Join us on Sunday, July 24th, when Dr. Homer Warren, Professor Emeritus of Marketing at Youngstown State University, will discuss how consumer consciousness is created, and how to support an alternative, called producer consciousness. Instead of seeing how much we can consume, what would our world be like if we saw what we could produce/create? In walks with Dr. Warren, I’m impressed by the depth of thought and intention he has put into this line of thinking, especially as it relates to education and our young people.

As I write this, I’m in Portland, Oregon, participating in the General Assembly for our denomination with the theme of “Meeting the Moment: Reimagining Faith Communities.” Many of us are catching onto the reality that certain old structures and old ways of understanding faith are deserving of some deep questioning. The questions lead us into the wilderness, and according to some traditions, that is where our salvation lies. That inspires me still. When we meet the moment, we are risking an encounter with the unknown, and in that unknown space the divine has a chance to show up. Join us on Thursday, July 14 at 7 pm for a conversation on General Assembly: inspiration and learning from this year. Melissa Smith, one of our delegates, will be facilitating that with me.

There are many other events that I’m certain will inspire and guide us as we go “into the wild.” It’s good to have company, and it’s good to have resources when we need help, and feel stranded. It’s good to have collective wisdom, so we can navigate with more kindness. Sometimes it’s good to go alone, but I think more often it’s better to travel with a community, especially if the terrain is sometimes treacherous and uneven. At UUYO, we have that community – a resource for us when we feel stranded, alone, and in need of sustenance.

In faith, Rev. Joseph