Tapestry of Faith: Love Connects Us: A Program on Living in Unitarian Universalist Covenant for Grades 4-5

Introduction to Session 13

Say not 'I have found the truth,' but rather 'I have found a truth.' — Khalil Gibran, from The Prophet

Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition. We expect that what we find to be true may change over time as new life experiences shape our search. This session guides participants to "seek the truth in love" again and again as part of their own search for meaning. As they learn to anticipate a lifelong search for not one but many truths, they discover how the lens of our own experiences determines the truths we find.

Note: Some activities rely on participants' visual experience to teach the concepts of differing and changing perspectives. Assign a co-leader or another participant to describe what they see to any visually impaired participant, to enrich the activity for both. Also, look in the Including All Participants sections for specific activity adaptations to fully include a visually impaired child.

Goals

This session will:

  • Explores the individual's quest for truth and meaning, a Unitarian Universalist value stated in our fourth Principle
  • Portray truth as rarely absolute, and always shaped by individuals' life experiences and perspectives.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Learn, through responding to a story, how different people involved in the same event can perceive the event differently
  • Experience literally (visually) how the viewer's perspective determines the appearance of an image or object
  • Understand that an individual's experiences shape their unique perspective, which in turn informs their sense of what is true
  • Recognize that others, bringing their own perspectives, can hold truths different from someone else's without being "wrong."