AMAZING GRACE
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 11: RULES, RULES, RULES
BY RICHARD KIMBALL
© Copyright 2008 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/7/2014 7:25:19 AM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
Session 11 explores the role of rules in people's lives, sixth-graders' as well as others. The session is the third of four sessions based on the theme of spiritual development.
At first glance, rules seem a simple matter. Obey them and be virtuous, disobey them and be sinful. What happens when rules bump into each other, as they so often do? That is when matters get murky, as your youth have undoubtedly found, and that is one of Session 11's subjects.
The session begins with a spiritual moment based in art depicting Moses and the Ten Commandments. Youth respond by creating their own commandments for an alien who enters their lives with no clue about how to act. The central story concerns a monk faced with conflicting rules. In Ethics Play, participants consider the rules that help them resolve daily situations. Faith in Action asks them to identify and work either against bad rules or for good ones.
GOALS
This session will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
ACTIVITY | MINUTES |
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: A Spiritual Moment in Art | 10 |
Activity 2: Your Own Commandments | 17 |
Activity 3: Story and Discussion – Two Monks | 10 |
Activity 4: Ethics Play | 15 |
Faith in Action: Changing Rules | 30 |
Closing | 3 |
Alternate Activity 1: Life and Death Role-Plays | 30 |
Alternate Activity 2: What Can You Control? | 15 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
In the days before you present this session, explore the role of art in your own spiritual life. Is it deeply meaningful to you? Examine the visual art in your home and workplace. Did you choose art to decorate your space? Do you feel a spiritual connection with any of the art?
In the moments before you present this session, with all preparations made, make a peaceful moment for yourself and for your connections with all. Breathe deeply. Know that your efforts to assist youth are themselves virtuous. Breathe deeply. Connect with what is good and true. Breathe deeply. Relax. Feel the energy of sharing fill you. Connect again with your leadership team, and be ready to greet your youth.
SESSION PLAN
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
As participants enter, greet them. If you have newcomers, greet them warmly and be sure they know others in the room. Give them nametags if others have them. Ask newcomers and old timers alike to look at the Conundrum Corner, but do not say anything more about it. In answer to any questions about it, say you will be talking about it later.
If playing "Amazing Grace," stop the music, or reduce the volume to a very low background level.
Lead the group in the day's opening rituals—a chalice lighting, a moment of focusing silence, and a moment of sharing.
Light the chalice, or let a youth do so, and speak these words (asking the group to join you if you have posted them):
May this light help us understand the rules in our lives.
Ask the group to be silent for a moment as they reflect on the opening words and settle in for the session. End the silence by saying, "blessed be," or other appropriate words. Ask the youth to go around the room and identify the rule they dislike most in their lives.
Extinguish the chalice without ceremony and move the chalice table aside as necessary to allow movement in the room.
ACTIVITY 1: A SPIRITUAL MOMENT IN ART (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity introduces two subjects: Moses and the Ten Commandments and the Spirituality of Art. In the first part, youth experience art depicting Moses and the Ten Commandments; in the second part, they experience other art you offer as possibly being spiritual.
Part 1: Show participants a photograph of artwork depicting Moses and the Ten Commandments. Ask them if they know the story behind the work of art; remind them of it as necessary:
The story comes from the Hebrew Bible. It says that Moses, a Great Hebrew leader, climbed Mount Sinai to speak with God. There, God gave him Ten Commandments that Moses delivered to the Hebrew people on clay tablets. Simply put, the Commandments say:
These rules from God remain very famous today. Jewish people and Christians still honor them. Pictures of Moses and the Ten Commandments hang in many places, including churches and public buildings such as the United States Supreme Court and the Boston Public Library.
Ask the youth to look at the art you are showing them for a long, silent moment. Then ask if they think the art is impressive. What if they were at the Supreme Court or another public building and when they looked up they saw a huge statue or painting of Moses with the Ten Commandments. Would that impress them? Would it be a spiritual moment for them? Would they feel connected to the past, and to God? Does seeing these rules in impressive art make them seem more powerful than they do in writing? Acknowledge that there are issues of separation of church and state that you could discuss, but that for today's session you are talking about the Ten Commandments with regard to rules.
Part 2: Remind youth that you have been talking about methods people use to connect to their spirituality. Say that many people find some art to be spiritual. Ask if the youth have themselves experienced such moments. Point out that art does not need to be religious to feel spiritual. It might be a painting of nature or of people. If it helps people connect to something deep inside themselves or to know the great mystery of life, it is spiritual for them. El Vendedor De Alcatraces (at www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=308624&CID=40C4D79729544A45B26B916BBD0081D8&search=&FindID=&P=&PP=&sortby=&cname=&SearchID)(Seller of Alcatraces) by Diego Rivera and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (at www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Impressionist/images/seurat_lg.jpg), 1884, by Georges Seurat are two paintings that many people think are beautiful and some even find transcendent. Artwork depicting Guan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Mercy is another example. Here is one by Ken McCracken from the website Science Fiction and Fantasy Art (at images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=images.elfwood.com/art/m/c/mccracken/guanyin.jpg&imgrefurl=www.elfwood.com/art/m/c/mccracken/guanyin.jpg.html&h=700&w=458&sz=129&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=-lCSX7Z--vgliM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq).
Say that there are no rules about what makes a work of art spiritual - "If seeing a piece of art gives you a sense of deep connection to your inner self, to others, to the universe, or to the mystery that some people know as God, then it is spiritual for you, even if it does not seem spiritual to somebody else."
Show other works of art that you consider spiritual and give youth a long, quiet moment to look at each work before responding to it. Choose anything you like for this purpose. Perhaps your congregation has a library with works of art that strike you as spiritual. Appropriate art may also be on display in your building. For some people, views of Earth from space give a spiritual feeling. There is a link to live views from space in Find Out More. Youth can also give examples of their personal experiences with art.
ACTIVITY 2: YOUR OWN COMMANDMENTS (17 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity asks youth to consider some of the unwritten rules in their lives, especially at their schools.
Begin by introducing the idea of unwritten rules. First, ask if youth have an idea of what you mean by unwritten rules. Share ideas like these to build understanding:
We all have written rules in our lives. In school they might be in a handbook and on wall signs or posters. Our most important written public rules are called laws. Many of them are written by Congress and state legislatures and are signed by presidents and governors. In sports, we have rule books and on streets we have signs telling us what we must do or risk punishment. However, unwritten laws and unwritten rules are not in books. They are in our minds. They are what we understand about how we are supposed to behave with certain groups, in certain places, and at certain times. In some families, for example, people always sit in the same places at the dinner table. If a visitor takes one of those places without knowing, somebody might feel a little uncomfortable. There is no written rule about this. That is just the way things are. The right thing to do when you visit such a house is wait until somebody in the family tells you where to sit.
Ask the youth about other places where there are unwritten rules. What are some of the rules? Are there unwritten rules about how kids behave with each other? Do the behavior rules change when parents or teachers come into the room?
Now set up the activity: Ask youth to imagine that an alien has just arrived at their house in a puff of smoke. The alien came in looking like a small green being from Mars, but then, with another puff of smoke, transformed into a human of their age and gender. Now all the youth and their aliens are great friends. Your alien will start going to school with you next week and you are sure it will learn the official school rules by reading your handbook. However, the alien needs to know about some of the unwritten rules, too. What will you say about those?
Divide the youth into smaller groups of two or three. Position the groups far enough apart so they can work independently. Give each group enough wooden rulers and writing implements for all participants and then ask them to write unwritten rules of behavior at their schools. They should come up with as many rules as they have members in their group. Say they should write all the rules on newsprint first, so they can change them until all members are comfortable with them. Then each member should write one rule on her or his ruler.
If groups need help getting started, ask some leading questions:
Are their cliques in your schools and unwritten rules about them? Are different types of kids treated differently? Did you ever get in trouble or feel uncomfortable because you did something one way before you understood that everybody else does it another way? Should you always do things the way other people do them? Should you always follow the same rules about how to treat each other?
When all the groups have finished, have them gather again and share their (formerly) unwritten rules. Do they agree on what the rules are? Are they good rules? Silly rules? Bad rules? Can they change them?
If nobody has yet talked about an unwritten rule that youth should never "tell on" their friends, even if the friends do something really wrong, talk about it now. Do the youth in your group have experience with such a rule? Is it a good one? Can it be dangerous? Is it a rule the youth would be willing to break? If so, under what circumstances?
Conclude by saying that unwritten rules are one reason that life can be so complicated. Rules that disagree with each other are another. That is what this session's central story involves.
Notes: (1) Permanent markers will work well for writing on most wooden rulers, but if you think your group is so active that ink may wind up on clothing or work surfaces, use washable markers instead. Whatever you decide, try writing on a ruler in advance of the session. (2) Reviewing their own lives and extracting unwritten rules can be a challenge for sixth graders. If they seem to be struggling, consider changing the instructions and asking for "the most important rules in your school (congregation, or family), whether they are written or unwritten." (3) You can energize the activity by asking the groups to act out their rules so that others can guess what they are. This approach will increase the time required, though.
Including All Participants
Plan workspaces and locate supplies so that youth with limited mobility have equal access.
ACTIVITY 3: STORY AND DISCUSSION – TWO MONKS (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Participants consider what happens when two rules conflict with each other.
Ask the youth if they have ever had problems because two of the rules in their life bumped into each other. Then tell or read the story, which comes from the Zen Buddhist tradition. Alternately, you might ask for one or more volunteers to read it.
At the conclusion of the story, remark that one of the rules the second monk was supposed to follow was his vow to stay away from women. What was the other rule? (One possibility is the Golden Rule. The monk felt he should treat the woman as he would want to be treated in the same situation. Another is simply "Be nice to other people," "Be helpful," or "Be a gentleman.") Ask whether this other rule is written or unwritten. Is it important even if it is not a written law?
Ask how youth resolve problems that result when two rules conflict. How can people know the right way to act and avoid the wrong way? Should they decide on their own?
Point out the ruler in the Conundrum Corner. Ask the youth to identify two reasons why the ruler is there. Some will probably state the obvious quickly, that a ruler is a ruler and you have been talking about rules. This is especially likely if you have used rulers in Activity 2. (The youth also might say, fairly in this regard, that the presence of the ruler is a weak pun.) The group may have more trouble identifying the second reason. Offer, if they do not, that a ruler measures things. "People with an ethical or other problem sometimes talk about taking a 'measured response to it.' We all have to measure the probable results of our actions very carefully. That's one way we try to do the right thing and stay out of trouble."
Suggest that the group think about both measured responses and unwritten rules during Ethics Play, which is coming up next.
ACTIVITY 4: ETHICS PLAY (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Participants play a game replicating real-life situations involving ethical decisions.
At the end of the game, ask whether the ethical choices involved rules that disagreed with each other. Were some of the rules unwritten? What were they? Does the group think the solution reached was a reasonable and measured response to the problem?
Including All Participants
If some participants have limited mobility, you might wish to have the group remain seated, or at least give individuals a choice between standing and sitting when they speak.
CLOSING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Briefly summarize what you have done in this session. Hand out any Taking It Home activity suggestions you have prepared.
If earlier you moved your chalice from its central position, retrieve it and relight it without fanfare. Ask the group to sit and speak these closing words with you:
As we extinguish this chalice, may its light shine within so we may see the difference between right and wrong.
FAITH IN ACTION: CHANGING RULES (30 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Or
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Ask participants to support or oppose rules that affect them. Use either the general or the specific approach.
General approach: Tell the group that their Faith in Action challenge for this session is supporting or opposing a rule that affects them. Say that you will divide them into small groups of two or three. Each group will meet separately and choose a rule that affects them that they wish to support or oppose. The rule could be a state, a national, or a local law. On the other hand, it could have something to do with a school or their congregation. It might even be an unwritten rule. Once each group has chosen a rule, they should decide whether to support or oppose it. Then they should make a poster supporting their position or write a group letter to somebody who can change the rule—whichever task you, the leader, has chosen (and obtained supplies for).
Before they set to work, remind youth of the "measured response" mentioned in Activity 3. To identify a measured response in this case, they will need to think through the consequences of what they are suggesting. If they oppose a rule, they need to think about what might happen without it. If they support a rule, what might be the consequences of keeping it (or enacting it, if it doesn't already exist in written form)? Divide the youth, and give each group the supplies it needs. If you are expecting the groups to write letters, you may need to assist them with identifying appropriate recipients. If the youth are concerned with a state law, for example, they will need the name and address of a local legislator to write. If you expect the group to make posters, help them decide who their best audience is and where to place their posters.
Specific approach: If you wish to save time by limiting the effort to a single rule, consider bicycle-helmet laws and ask each group to make a poster or to write a letter as described for the general approach. The groups will need to know the law in their area. In the state of Maine, for example, everybody under the age of sixteen is required to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. If they do not, their parents may have to pay a $25 fine (See Find Out More for a website that summarizes state laws pertaining to bicycle helmets.). Another possibility is a youth curfew in your area. Before introducing that idea, you should find out from local authorities whether there is a curfew and, if so, what it covers. School dress codes are another possibility. For example, can boys wear earrings? Can anyone display any body piercing they choose? Are there any limitations about slogans on t-shirts? You may also find interesting issues in the news. This activity will work best if youth are invested in the outcomes.
When the groups have completed their posters or letters, ask them to reassemble and share with one another what they have done. Help them determine whether and where to place their posters and whether and how to mail their letters.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Meet with your co-leaders after the session to reflect on how it went. How was your mix of discussion and action? Have you successfully found ways to involve all youth fully in your sessions despite any limitations they might have? Have youth accepted and become engaged with Faith in Action? Is there something the group might do to follow up on today's Faith in Action issues?
Look ahead at Session 12. Decide who will lead which activities, and who will be responsible for which supplies.
TAKING IT HOME
Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
IN TODAY’S SESSION… We talked about the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments and saw art related to it. We thought about whether art sometimes makes us feel spiritual, and then about some unwritten rules in our lives. Our central story was “Two Monks.” The story led to a discussion about what to do when rules disagree with each other. We did Ethics Play, and ended by deciding how to oppose or support some rules that affect us.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about…
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try…
MYSTERY AND ME
Take some personal quiet time and meditate. Think about the rules in your life. Where do they come from? When you think a rule might be bad, can your faith help you know what to do? If you are journaling, write down some of your ideas.
A FAMILY RITUAL
Talk each day about the right and wrong you have experienced. Did you each do something good you want to share? Is there somebody in the family you want to thank for a virtuous act? Is there something you wish you had not done that you need to talk about? How can you make tomorrow a better day?
A FAMILY GAME
Make up silly rules for the family. That might help you see what your real rules are, even the unwritten ones. Then you can talk about them and see if they all make sense.
FAMILY DISCOVERY
Find stories about following unwritten rules. Watch for this in television programs and in newspapers.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: LIFE AND DEATH ROLE PLAYS (30 MINUTES)
Description of Activity
Youth role-play situations involving living things that people often feel free to kill.
Remind the group that one of the Ten Commandments says, in biblical language, "Thou shalt not kill." What does this mean? Does it mean that people should never fight wars, no matter what? Does it mean we shouldn't execute prisoners convicted of crimes? After youth share their ideas, say that some translations of the Bible give the commandment as "You shall not murder." Does that change what the youth think?
What about the ethics of killing plants, animals, and insects? The seventh UU Principle says we should have respect for the "interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Are plants, animals, and insects part of that web? What would they say about the commandment?
Ask the youth to divide into groups of two to four and create role plays in which plants, animals, and insects argue for their lives. Youth can create their own situations if they like, or use one of these:
When the groups have planned their role plays, let each in turn perform for the others. Ask if the plays have convinced anybody to change their ideas about such killing.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: WHAT CAN YOU CONTROL? (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Ask participants to identify what human characteristics need to be covered by rules. In other words, what characteristics lead people to commit wrong acts?
Brainstorm their ideas, making two lists: things that cannot or do not need to be controlled, such as breathing, and things that should be controlled, such as fists that can hit people. Once you have two lists of a dozen or so such items, ask for comments and discussion. Does everybody agree with the ideas on each list? Who should control the things that need to be controlled—individuals, the government, or some other entity? Who does control them? Should we or can we have rules to prevent absolutely everything that people can do wrong? Can we or should we have rules that require people to do everything they can possibly do that is right?
Consider sparking the conversation with some ideas that will engage youth: the question of hairstyles, for example. Should schools control the length or color of students' hair? What if dangerous gang members are all dying their hair the same color?
Conclude by summarizing the ideas the youth have offered.
Higher-energy option: Enliven this activity by placing a large outline of a human figure where all youth can reach it and asking them to offer ideas by writing them on sticky notes and attaching them to the outline.
Including All Participants
If you use the higher-energy approach, be sure that your human outline is located where all can reach it.
AMAZING GRACE: SESSION 11:
STORY: TWO MONKS
A Zen Buddhist tale, retold by Jessica York.
Two monks set out on a journey, one young, the other older and wiser. It was after the rains and the road was very muddy. At one point in their journey, they encountered a young woman standing before a large mud puddle. The younger monk passed her by, but the older monk offered to lift the young lady and carry her over the puddle. She thankfully accepted his offer and he carried her easily to the other side and put her down. Then the two monks continued on their way.
The farther they walked, the more the older monk noticed a change in the younger monk's behavior. He did not speak and he seemed angry. Finally, the young monk stopped in the middle of the road and confronted the older monk.
"Why did you carry that woman across the road? You know, as holy men, we are forbidden to touch any women, much less one so young and pretty!"
The older monk replied, "It is true that I broke a vow in touching the young woman. However, I put her down back on the road. Why are you still carrying her?"
FIND OUT MORE
Art Unframed (at www.artunframed.com) shows great works of art, including Moses with the Ten Commandments (at www.artunframed.com/images/artmis37/champaigne95.jpg) by Phillipe de Champaigne; El Vendedor De Alcatraces (Seller of Alcatraces) (at imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/NYG/30956~El-Vendedor-de-Alcatraces-Posters.jpg) by Diego Rivera; and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 (at www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Impressionist/images/seurat_lg.jpg) by Georges Seurat. You could also find examples of statues and paintings in the Buddhist or Hindu tradition from Google Images.
Guan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Mercy by Ken McCracken from the website Science Fiction and Fantasy Art (at images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=images.elfwood.com/art/m/c/mccracken/guanyin.jpg&imgrefurl=www.elfwood.com/art/m/c/mccracken/guanyin.jpg.html&h=700&w=458&sz=129&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=-lCSX7Z--vgliM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq).
John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery (at www.jssgallery.org) includes two side-by-side images (at www.jssgallery.org/Other_Artists/Michelangelo/MosesJux.html)of Moses, one by Michelangelo from the church of San Pietro in Rome, the other by John Singer Sargent and from the Boston Public Library.
"View the Earth from Space (at www.latrobe.edu.au/crcss/view_earth.html)"; an Internet site that gives live views of the earth from a number of satellites.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Traffic Safety Facts: Laws (at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/New-fact-sheet03/BicycleHelmetUse.pdf)" summarizes state laws about bicyclists wearing helmets.