So, I decided to take a look at Chalica this year. I’m not quite sold on it as, well, a holiday, but I ought to at least give it a go before leaping to snap judgments. We do need more deep rituals to, well, remind ourselves that we are indeed a faith and not a social justice club. Today is the first day of it, and it’s all about our first principle, the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
If I had to write a list of reasons why I’m a Unitarian Universalist, this first principle would easily make the top five. Out of all of the principles, this is the one that just speaks to me the most, and of course can sometimes be the most maddening.
Really? Everyone has Inherent Worth and Dignity? Even the guy or gal driving the semi truck that cut me off on 285 with no turn signal this morning? Even politicians who I would love to throw rotten fruit at? Even people who would rather see me live without equal rights because of how God made me? Everyone? Everyone?
Yes, everyone. And it’s a spiritual practice to, well, force myself to remember that yes, despite not liking someone very much they still do have inherent worth and dignity. When I notice myself condemning someone in my mind, I ought to take a step back and think about putting myself in their shoes for a bit, try to have an open mind, and try to have an open heart.
I need to think about what I’ll do today to honor this principle. Sadly my work schedule sort of prevents a lot of possibilities for volunteer work, etc. So I think I’m going to have to apply most of these at work this week, and I think today I’m going to make that extra effort to not get highly highly aggravated when on the phone with certain people at work, and do my best to put myself in their shoes, and remind myself that even though I might think they’re idiots, they still have inherent worth and dignity and ought to be treated as such, not just while on the phone with them, but afterward (instead of bitching about them to someone else 
)
My church doesn’t seem to be aware of Chalica; I first read about it this morning online. Is it pronounced the way it looks, with a hard “c”?
Anyway, I tend to be dubious of efforts to get us to be more like other “religions,” but you offer a fine example of how this can be used as a tool for working through our principles…