I'm one of those who labor in service to a segment of our community, our city, our state, our country, our world. Every day I lever myself up out of bed, swipe the alarm clock into silence, and stagger through the pre-dawn dark through the morning ablutions, donning my "uniform" (business attire) and grope my way through silent streets and meaningless traffic signals (no traffic) to work.

My work helps give my life meaning, since it is in a vital service industry. An added element is that I enjoy what I do, for the most part, and the constant interaction with all sorts and conditions of men (and women) keeps me aligned with what other people think and do. When I'm on vacation (for instance, the week off at Christmas), I find that I come back to work to a sense of unreality--are people really like this? Self-centered, narcissistic, vengeful, ignorant?

Yes, many are. We have met the enemy, and they are us. We live in the same world, rub shoulders with them every day, and, if our world is to become a better place for all living things, we will all have to be a part of the process and the solution. I think this idea is behind President Obama's determination to include all varieties of political and social outlook in the actions that shape our world and our future. No one can be left behind, not the gun-toting terrorist right wingers, not the gun-toting terrorist guerrillas, not the Unitarian Universalists who affirm the worth and dignity of all sentient beings.

Whatever future there is, we will all be part of it. In my small way, I labor every day to make it, to shape it, to be a good place for all living things, including Gaia herself.

So may it be.