Yes We Can

RICH HAYES | home

*Talk presented by Rich Hayes on 1/19/09 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Pittsfiled MA

During the past 8 years we have had a mirror held up to us-as a people, as a society, as a nation.

And what we have seen has not been pretty:

Greed on a scale that almost boggles the mind!

Disparity in incomes not seen since the gilded age;

Incredible lack of oversight and regulation

Pre-emptive war waged in our name

Torture practiced in our name-

What happened? How did this happen?

No, it wasn't just the election of certain people who will remain unnamed this morning, though that is certainly a part of it.

In fact it has been a long time coming; the result of actions and decisions made over many, many years-sometimes with what were believed to be the best of intentions.

But as that old saying goes: the road to hell is paved …well you get the idea.

Let's pretend for a moment that the U.S. was a single person; if it were,

we might say that It has seen it’s shadow.

Now the good news here is that, again staying with the idea of the U.S. as an individual,

when a person begins to be able to “see” this stuff, they are able to begin changing-

that is if they're willing to:

If that person is willing to look, and in “seeing” what is and what they have done, say to them self, “this is what I’ve done, it’s not good and it’s not working”, then there is possibility for change.

So, perhaps these past 8 years have really been a disguised blessing to us as a nation, because, as Pogo so eloquently put it: “we have met the enemy and he is us”

Carl Jung said that there is no coming to consciousness without pain.

Let me suggest to you that we are entering that part of the process.

We are becoming conscious… and it hurts.

You’re probably saying to yourselves, “Entering????” What do you call the past 8 years??”

I call them: “the end of a way that no longer works”

But this is about more than just an administration and its misguided policies. It’s about a way of doing and thinking and being that has grown into the way “we” as a country and society have allowed ourselves to become.

I am not saying this to point fingers or cast blame- no one here is responsible.

But yet all of us here are responsible.

Who knows? Maybe the only way we could finally become willing to change was to see how deeply things no longer worked!

And if we look deeper we begin to realize they really haven’t been working for quite some time.

And finally we're left to wonder to ourselves, maybe they never really did work at all!

I suggest to you that had they not gotten so blatantly awful, we probably would not be preparing to inaugurate the 1st black president of the United States.

But Barack Obama didn't get elected because he is black; he got elected in spite of it!!

And in the process the U.S. got a chance to look at another aspect of Its own shadow: racism.

And there is more work to do.

Barack Obama got elected because he not only offered something we were all hungering for, “change”, but because he reminded us

of who we really are-as a nation, as a people, and as individuals.

We see in Obama the possibility for a different future than the one we had been heading for.

He reminded us of the truth that “Yes We can”-it is the “We” who are “We the People”

Too many of us had lost belief in the power of “We”. The man whose birthday we celebrate tomorrow, Martin Luther King, believed deeply and passionately in the “We” of “Yes We Can”.

The man Martlin Luther King looked to for inspiration, Gandhi, believed in the “we” of Yes We Can.

Here’s the thing:This “We” needs to be as inclusive as possible.

We must do our best to rise above our human tendency to separate into “us” and “them”.

And that is going to take a lot of work on all our part.

But that’s part of the spiritual work of becoming conscious.

I want to remind you that, while there is power in “we”, the change must begin in the “me”.

To “fix” this will require the right tool-the right tool for the right job as we used to say in the car repair biz.

The tools I’m talking about are spiritual tools:

forgiveness, compassion, acceptance.

And we must develop a willingness to let go of our need to be “right” or exact revenge.

And, here’s the really, really tough part-we must, must do it, despite what others may say or do.

Even if these “others” still wish to try and hammer together the old broken system and keep it up and running!

We must resist from falling back into the name-calling and the bickering and the divisiveness.

We must not lose consciousness.

We need to learn to listen better, even when we don’t like what we hear.

It is amazing how powerful listening is. Trust me. It’s part of what I do as a hospice chaplain.

Think about it: how do you feel when someone really listens to you?

Even if you don’t agree with that person or like them, the fact that you feel heard by them begins to change how you feel.

I heard a former Harvard classmate of Barack’s tell how one day she ran into him off campus and he was hanging around with a group of guys who were members of a conservative club. She asked him about this later, saying that she felt he’d gone over to the “other side”. She said he laughed and said that, no, he hadn’t gone over to the other side. He said he didn’t have to agree with them in order to like them. And by talking together they both got a chance to learn things from each other.

What we must do is remember that Yes we can –we can do the inner work necessary for this great change to take place.

Yesterday as Barack Obama prepared to leave Philadelphia he said: “Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union," "Let's build a government that is responsible to the people and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable. ... Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning and the hope for the future."

So while our hopes and our dreams for a better country and brighter future are being entrusted to Obama, it is our responsibility to do the work necessary, both inner and outer.

We must continue to be the “We” of " we the people".

I have stood up here the past few years and in the course of my talks said to you that there is no one coming to save us.

That has not changed.

“We” are the ones we have been waiting for.

It seems that in the course of history and during some of the most challenging and troubled times, through grace or Divine providence, or whatever you want to call it there have been those people who have shown up and who have come to teach us-to help us- to point the way. But it is always We who must do the footwork.

I'd like to end this morning with the lyrics to a song on You Tube called “Yes We Can” The lyrics are excerpts from various speeches that Barack Obama has made. If you haven’t seen this I highly recommend it.

Yes We Can Lyrics by Will.I.Am

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom

Yes we can. Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores

and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can. Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized;

women who reached for the ballots;

a President who chose the moon as our new frontier;

and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

We know the battle ahead will be long,

but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way,

nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant

We've been asked to pause for a reality check.

We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

The hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA;

we will remember that there is something happening in America;

that we are not as divided as our politics suggests;

that we are one people;

and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America’s story with three words that will ring from coast to coast;

from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can.


	RICH HAYES \| home Yes We Can Talk presented by Rich Hayes on 1/19/09 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Pittsfiled MA During the past 8 years we have had a mirror held up to us-as a people, as a society, as a nation. And what we have seen has not been pretty: Greed on a scale that almost boggles the mind! Disparity in incomes not seen since the gilded age; Incredible lack of oversight and regulation Pre-emptive war waged in our name Torture practiced in our name- What happened? How* did this happen? No, it wasn't just the election of certain people who will remain unnamed this morning, though that is certainly a part of it. In fact it has been a long time coming; the result of actions and decisions made over many, many years-sometimes with what were believed to be the best of intentions. But as that old saying goes: the road to hell is paved …well you get the idea. Let's pretend for a moment that the U.S. was a single person; if it were, we might say that It has seen it’s shadow. Now the good news here is that, again staying with the idea of the U.S. as an individual, when a person begins to be able to “see” this stuff, they are able to begin changing- that is if they're willing to: 1-not deny – 2-not rationalize 3- not justify If that person is willing to look, and in “seeing” what is and what they have done, say to them self, “this is what I’ve done, it’s not good and it’s not working”, then there is possibility for change. So, perhaps these past 8 years have really been a disguised blessing to us as a nation, because, as Pogo so eloquently put it: “we have met the enemy and he is us” Carl Jung said that there is no coming to consciousness without pain. Let me suggest to you that we are entering that part of the process. We are becoming conscious… and it hurts. You’re probably saying to yourselves, “Entering????” What do you call the past 8 years??” I call them: “the end of a way that no longer works” But this is about more than just an administration and its misguided policies. It’s about a way of doing and thinking and being that has grown into the way “we” as a country and society have allowed ourselves to become. I am not saying this to point fingers or cast blame- no one here is responsible. But yet all of us here are responsible. Who knows? Maybe the only way we could finally become willing to change was to see how deeply things no longer worked! And if we look deeper we begin to realize they really haven’t been working for quite some time. And finally we're left to wonder to ourselves, maybe they never really did work at all! I suggest to you that had they not gotten so blatantly awful, we probably would not be preparing to inaugurate the 1st black president of the United States. But Barack Obama didn't get elected because he is black; he got elected in spite of it!! And in the process the U.S. got a chance to look at another aspect of Its own shadow: racism. And there is more work to do. Barack Obama got elected because he not only offered something we were all hungering for, “change”, but because he reminded us of who we really are-as a nation, as a people, and as individuals. We see in Obama the possibility for a different future than the one we had been heading for. He reminded us of the truth that “Yes We can”-it is the “We” who are “We the People” Too many of us had lost belief in the power of “We”. The man whose birthday we celebrate tomorrow, Martin Luther King, believed deeply and passionately in the “We” of “Yes We Can”. The man Martlin Luther King looked to for inspiration, Gandhi, believed in the “we” of Yes We Can. Here’s the thing:This “We” needs to be as inclusive as possible. We must do our best to rise above our human tendency to separate into “us” and “them”. And that is going to take a lot of work on all our part. But that’s part of the spiritual work of becoming conscious. I want to remind you that, while there is power in “we”, the change must begin in the “me”. To “fix” this will require the right tool-the right tool for the right job as we used to say in the car repair biz. The tools I’m talking about are spiritual tools: forgiveness, compassion, acceptance. And we must develop a willingness to let go of our need to be “right” or exact revenge. And, here’s the really, really tough part-we must, must do it, despite what others may say or do. Even if these “others” still wish to try and hammer together the old broken system and keep it up and running! We must resist from falling back into the name-calling and the bickering and the divisiveness. We must not lose consciousness. We need to learn to listen better, even when we don’t like what we hear. It is amazing how powerful listening is. Trust me. It’s part of what I do as a hospice chaplain. Think about it: how do you feel when someone really listens to you? Even if you don’t agree with that person or like them, the fact that you feel heard by them begins to change how you feel. I heard a former Harvard classmate of Barack’s tell how one day she ran into him off campus and he was hanging around with a group of guys who were members of a conservative club. She asked him about this later, saying that she felt he’d gone over to the “other side”. She said he laughed and said that, no, he hadn’t gone over to the other side. He said he didn’t have to agree with them in order to like them. And by talking together they both got a chance to learn things from each other. What we must do is remember that Yes we can –we can do the inner work necessary for this great change to take place. Yesterday as Barack Obama prepared to leave Philadelphia he said: “Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union," "Let's build a government that is responsible to the people and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable. ... Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning and the hope for the future." So while our hopes and our dreams for a better country and brighter future are being entrusted to Obama, it is our responsibility to do the work necessary, both inner and outer. We must continue to be the “We” of " we the people". I have stood up here the past few years and in the course of my talks said to you that there is no one coming to save us. That has not changed. “We” are the ones we have been waiting for. It seems that in the course of history and during some of the most challenging and troubled times, through grace or Divine providence, or whatever you want to call it there have been those people who have shown up and who have come to teach us-to help us- to point the way. But it is always We who must do the footwork. I'd like to end this morning with the lyrics to a song on You Tube called “Yes We Can” The lyrics are excerpts from various speeches that Barack Obama has made. If you haven’t seen this I highly recommend it. Yes We Can Lyrics by Will.I.Am It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom Yes we can. Yes we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can. Yes we can. It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can. We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. The hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America’s story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can. RETURN