The Hymn "We are a Gentle, Angry People" (souls, quote)

[Hueffenhardt]

Occasionally, during our Unitarian Universalist services, we sing a hymn entitled, "We are a Gentle, Angry People". The words are written by Holly Near and are as follows:

We are a gentle, angry people

We are a gentle angry people, X 2
and we are singing, singing for our lives

We are a justice seeking people, X 2
and we are singing, singing for our lives

We are young and old together, X 2
and we are singing, singing for our lives

We are a land of many colors, X 2
and we are singing, singing for our lives

We are gay and straight together X 2
And we are singing, singing for our lives

We are a gentle, loving people X 2
And we are singing, singing for our lives

I have thought a lot about this hymn. There are some people that seem to look negatively on those who post angrily due to the harm they received from religion. I also think a lot about anger, forbearance, and offense-taking. I know that people sometimes lose control of themselves while angry and let the emotion take control. I also have observed people who are consumed with anger for extensive amounts of time, that end up becoming nasty in all of their interactions and tax their bodies with stress. But I believe that there are appropriate times to get angry and that one can get angry without letting anger getting the best of them. Heck, even Jesus got angry with the money changers at the temple and turned over their tables.

Anger can be an adaptive response in the face of injustice and unfair treatment. It protects us from allowing people to walk all over us or others and be taken advantage of. We should be angry when people that we trust are deceptive. We should be angry when homosexuals are victims of hate and intolerance. We should be angry when women are relegated as second class citizens. We should be motivated to act for justice and equality and honesty. Martin Luther King, Jr, showed us how to work for these things without letting the anger eat us alive and without lashing out in unproductive violence and provocation. So, let us be a gentle and angry people until those in power quit mistreating those without.

[Ball Pean]

Good post.

[Theophane]

Sounds like a very strange hymn.

[Hueffenhardt]

Originally Posted by Theophane

Sounds like a very strange hymn.

Yeah, as UU's we sing hymns about social justice and environmentalism, etc.

For instance, here is another one of our hymns, "Blue Boat Home":

You can hear a sample here. I copied the words below:

"Though below me, I feel no motion
Standing on these mountains and plains
Far away from the rolling ocean
Still my dry land heart can say
I've been sailing all my life now
Never harbor or port have I known
The wide universe is the ocean I travel
And the earth is my blue boat home

Sun, my sail, and moon my rudder
As I ply the starry sea
Leaning over the edge in wonder
Casting questions into the deep
Drifting here with my ship's companions
All we kindred pilgrim souls
Making our way by the lights of the heavens
In our beautiful blue boat home

I give thanks to the waves upholding me
Hail the great winds urging me on
Greet the infinite sea before me
Sing the sky my sailor's song
I was born upon the fathoms
Never harbor or port have I known
The wide universe is the ocean I travel
And the earth is my blue boat home"