Is our moral arch actually bending toward justice?

Today, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Many will share kind words about his life’s work. I too am stunned by the great bravery of this man who lived a powerful life and shifted history through mindful non-violence and took high-risk action.

Dr. King said that the “arc of the moral universe is long but bends toward justice.” I often wonder, is that true?

Are we actually bending toward justice? Our headlines show the social, political, racial divisions in our social fabric, the economic inequalities that still exist, the malcontent and addictive behaviors in the world’s wealthiest nations, the power dynamics at the global level. I can feel the rabbit holes and echo chambers that keep us on our devices and away from one another. Can anyone show me the arc toward justice? Is there actually hope for our future?

I ask a friend, and they respond, definitively: “no.”
Humans are making a mess of things!

When I have doubt, though, I look closely at the Springwell community.

I see peace, I see belonging, I see love.

And I have hope.

At Springwell, students, faculty, and parents treat one another with deep compassion. We don’t always get it right! But, listening, struggling, and resolving is what we do best. We struggle and resolve with one another, with our parents, with our students. We commit and recommit daily to our three C’s of Connection, Communication, and Collaboration. That is how we honor Dr. King’s legacy, moment by moment.

We make room for mess.
We make room for conflict.
We make room to talk about inclusion.
We make room for mistakes.
We are open to humbling ourselves and opening to one another.
We are present.

We do inclusion not in a dogmatic way. We don’t ignite more fight, and at the same time we make room for anger, sadness, and confusion. We do inclusion with radical presence, with deep authenticity, with no assumptions, without cutting and pasting politically correct templates, and with our own words. We feel our way through what is real.

At Springwell, I feel hopeful about the arc toward justice. Each of us has a part to play in shaping the future of our own lives, the path of our communities, our nation, and our world. On this MLK day, we recommit to cultivating in our students the hearts, minds, and hands that are needed to realize Dr. King’s dream of a just and free society.

I offer that there’s hope for you too! We may not see it in the big picture, but –

In the small moments and micro-orbits of our daily lives, we can see the arc toward justice if we just look — and practice.