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Braver/Wiser: Courage and Compassion for Life as It Is

Life is full of hard edges and complicated choices. Braver/Wiser gives you weekly message of courage and compassion for life as it is. Every Wednesday we deliver an original written reflection and brief prayer, grounded in Unitarian Universalism. Join the Braver/Wiser community and sign up today!

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 36

  • Outdoors on a lawn, a group of Black friends are seated as if at a picnic. They're smiling and laughing with abundant joy.
    If you’re seeking sacred Black “text” in our tradition, you have to examine the way our Black ancestors lived.
    Reflection | By Takiyah Nur Amin | February 7, 2024 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackHistoryMonth, #BlackLivesMatter, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Covenant, Generations, History, Identity, Living Our Faith, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarianism, Universalism, Worship
  • A sketch of Mary, with a crown of stars and a fist raised. Around her are the words "Cast down the mighty" and "Send the rich away"
    The Magnificat is a courageous and subversive song of praise; a call to social justice.
    Reflection | By Laura Dobson | December 6, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Activism, Advent, Anti-Oppression, Christianity, Courage, History, Justice, Multiculturalism, Worship
  • Six cylindrical vases are filled with colored liquid, so that together they form a rainbow. This photo captures the bottom of each vase and the reflection of their color on a blank surface.
    I would have loved it as a kid to have a church that encouraged us to listen to our heartfelt yearning of self.
    Reflection | By Zeb Green | June 7, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Coming Out, Direct Experience, Gender, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Truth, Worship
  • A hand opens a door, revealing a restroom.
    I belong, and you belong, and we belong—just as we are.
    Reflection | By Li Kynvi | May 31, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Body, Courage, Direct Experience, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Oppression, Pride Sunday, Privilege, Secular, Worship
  • A Progress Pride flag on a flagpole, with a blue sky and bright sun behind it.
    Queer joy is resistance.
    Reflection | By cristy cardinal | November 23, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #LoveResists, #Pride, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Community, Direct Experience, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • Seen from the chest up, a side view of three generations: a Black son, father, and grandfather standing side by side.
    I rise on the shoulders of ancestors whose names I can not know.
    Reflection | By Glen Thomas Rideout | September 14, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackHistoryMonth, #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, History, Oppression, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Self-Respect, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • Seen from below looking up, a circle of BIPOC people clasp hands.
    We have to keep finding ways to widen the circle of care and concern.
    Reflection | By JeKaren Olaoya | June 22, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Hospitality, Identity, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A group of people, backs to the camera, walk holding a giant rainbow flag under their heads, as if in the middle of a Pride parade.
    To be queer is to know the ways of holding all that shimmers to the light.
    Reflection | By Laura Solomon | June 8, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A close up of two competitors, mid-match, at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Shinbun Championship (2017).
    White supremacy culture tells me that I’m only "good" if I’m perfect, treating all falls as hard stops.
    Reflection | By Christine Slocum | March 16, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Challenge, Ending, Failure, Growth, Humanism, Letting Go, Secular, Worship
  • Seen from behind, at the beach, a father has his arm lovingly wrapped around his child's shoulder.
    Happy kids are safer kids, because happy kids have adults they can ask for help.
    Reflection | By Quinn Gormley | March 2, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Children, Coming Out, Direct Experience, Humanism, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Parents, Pride Sunday, Secular, Worship
  • A photo, from above, of a Black mother with daughter lying down on cozy couch in living room, cuddling and napping together at home.
    If I want well-being to be my truth, I must reclaim and protect it.
    Reflection | By Atena O. Danner | January 26, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Body, Limitations, Self-Care, Worship
  • A young teen lies on their bed, eyes closed, listening to music on headphones. A guitar lies on the bed next to them.
    Spirit of Life who dwells before and between and beyond all words… we open ourselves to you.
    Reflection | By David Glasgow | November 17, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Arts & Music, Coming Out, Courage, Direct Experience, Friendship, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Secular, Solidarity, Worship
  • Five people of color are seen in a line, holding hands with arms crossed in a sign of solidarity.
    In order to be welcoming, the systems of power and privilege in our spaces need to be actively dismantled.
    Reflection | By Shannon Lang | September 29, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Diversity, Equity, Hospitality, Humanism, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A white nationalist, wearing body armor with a white nationalist symbol, stands in front of a line of religious leaders, some wearing Side with Love garb, at the Charlottesville Unite the Right Rally (August 12, 2017).
    Do we who are UUs really believe in the values of our faith enough to enact to them in bold, clear, and unequivocal ways?
    Reflection | By Takiyah Nur Amin | June 23, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackLivesMatter, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), America, Anti-Oppression, Conflict, Direct Experience, Division, Equity, Justice, Living Our Faith, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A neon pink triangle and "Silence = Death" in the glass wall of the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC.
    Help me live in gratitude for the LGBTQ+ ancestors who paved this road we walk and roll on.
    Reflection | By Li Kynvi | June 9, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Identity, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Worship
  • A black man in a dark space looks sideways into the camera. Across his face, in colored light, the letters A G C T represent DNA nucleotides.
    I've adopted the practice of spiritual reconnection with my ancestors to heal intergenerational trauma.
    Reflection | By Jabari S. Jones | February 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Diversity, Generations, Healing, History, International, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Transformation, Trauma, Worship
  • From behind, a Japanese man in a suit holds the hand of a small girl in a school uniform as they walk to school.
    The assumption that all people remember the same set of events, or enjoy the same set of things, puts enormous burdens of assimilation onto members of marginalized communities.
    Reflection | By Yuri Yamamoto | July 15, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Children, Class, Culture, Direct Experience, Diversity, Inclusion, Multiculturalism
  • An illustration of a person looking back at looming, interlocked gears and cogs.
    “Specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart; this nullity imagines that it has attained a level of civilization never before achieved.” ―Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Raise your hand if you believe you’re not doing enough right now. Do you feel like...
    Reflection | By Jude Geiger | April 29, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), America, Anti-Oppression, Ethics, History, Humanism, Secular, Work, Worry
  • A black man in profile, dimly lit, against a dark background.
    When you’re the only black man in a sea of whiteness, purses still get clutched, and people still cross the street, and hellos still get lost in the void.
    Reflection | By Adrian L. H. Graham | January 15, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Fear, Identity, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Relationships
  • In the background, a desolate street. In the foreground, yellow "caution" tape wrapped around a pole.
    Can we strive to have the grace to back away when our presence doesn’t feel like safety?
    Reflection | By Misha Sanders | November 13, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Discernment, Humanism, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Unitarian Universalism
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