Conflicts?

At first glance, there might seem to be some conflicts and incongruities between this morning’s sermon (where I was challenging people to be heroes) and the posts of the past couple of weeks (where I’m coming to the realization that I can’t fix the world).

I’ll freely admit that I was in a different state of mind when the sermon was conceived many months ago. But I don’t think there’s a conflict.

We are called to be heroes – to go out into the world and do great things. But even the biggest hero can only do so much – he or she can’t fix the whole world. Jesus didn’t do it, Buddha didn’t do it, and I’m sure as hell not going to do it.

There is a reading in the UU Hymnal (#457, by Edward Everett Hale) that says:

I am only one
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

Including, at times, being a hero.