Faith CoLab: Tapestry of Faith: Principled Commitment: An Adult Program on Building Strong Relationships

Activity 2: A Healthy Uu Humility

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Leader Resource 2: Thoughts on UU Humility
  • Newsprint with prepared list (see Preparation)
  • Marker
  • Easel
  • Optional: Low-stick masking tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Study Leader Resource 2, Thoughts on UU Humility. Be prepared to incorporate these thoughts into the activity's discussion.
  • Write the following list on newsprint, leaving room for additional ideas to be added.
    A healthy Unitarian Universalist humility . . .
    • Keeps us teachable
    • Lets us be filled with wonder and awe
    • Acknowledges our human connections to the earth and each other
    • Recognizes our limits
    • Knows that we, too, one day will die

Description of Activity

Invite discussion by asking participants:
  • When you hear the word "humility," what ideas and images come up for you?
  • Where do these images come from? Are they connected to your religious upbringing? Are they connected to your current religious identity?

Offer your own ideas, informed by Leader Resource 2, Thoughts on UU Humility.

Display the newsprint sheet you have prepared and allow participants time to read it. Ask participants:

  • What do you think of this notion of healthy UU humility?
  • What other ideas, attitudes, and words would you associate with a healthy UU humility?

Record participants' responses on newsprint. When several ideas have been generated, ask participants:

  • What behaviors in a relationship would demonstrate this kind of UU humility?

If desired, post the newsprint sheet on the wall so that participants can refer to it during other activities.