Dean Powery on Seeking What We Have in Common
Writing in the (Duke) Chronicle about “Common aspirations,” Chapel Dean Luke Powery affirms “human diversity wholly because it’s a reflection of divine beauty,” while also offering a challenge to “search for what we have in common.”
In making the case for finding common ground, Dean Powery cites Maya Angelou’s poem “Human Family,” which ends “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” He points to the example of an early Christian community that “had all things in common.” He also draws on his experience teaching a class in a federal prison.
“The questions I have on my mind as we approach the Thanksgiving break are about what binds us together,” he says. “So, as you take time over break to rest and renew relationships with family and friends, I invite you to consider the common aspirations we might have by pondering these questions:
What is common between us?
Where is the common ground these days?
What are you doing for the common good?
Shall we be disjointed or joined together?”