鈥淎re you looking forward to starting school in September?鈥� A 10-year old I know well answered the familiar question with, 鈥淥h yes! I can鈥檛 wait to get back!鈥� 聽This was quite different from my answer at that age, which would have been, 鈥淣o, not yet!鈥�
聽Summer was freedom, a time for playing, eating fresh produce from the garden and endless sun-kissed mornings. Each day held opportunities for new adventures.聽
The late August Ontario ritual of receiving brand new school supplies made the return easier. It was an occasion. 聽Parents would bring their children downtown to a parking lot. 聽There were festive banners and free ice cream. Elementary school students would arrive first. 聽
Once your name was called, you could walk up to a large table. A package with your name, grade and teacher鈥檚 name would be presented with ceremony. It was accompanied by an admonition to take special care of it. The package contained all that was needed for the school year: art supplies, pencils, pencil sharpener, erasers, colourful notebooks, a pencil case, ruler and text books. We would rush home to cover the textbooks with brown paper for 鈥減rotection鈥�. The covers were canvases for fanciful designs, not just names. Now school could begin.
聽There was no divide, rich or poor, everyone received the same grade appropriate package.聽 When the program and tradition ended, we lost something important. No longer did families mark this new beginning together.聽 The student with the best/prettiest/coolest supplies became the envy of their classmates. 聽School supplies joined clothing as indicators of who was well to do and who wasn鈥檛. In time, belonging was firmly based on symbols of wealth.
It is in the little things the seeds of stigma are sown. Jesus knew this. He was fond of ignoring the accepted social practices of his time. He would dine with tax collectors and 鈥渟inners鈥�. He and his disciples would 鈥渉arvest鈥� food on the Sabbath. 聽He used common prejudices to challenge those who were confident in their actions and role in the community.
聽In all this he addressed the economic manifestations of social injustice by targeting its roots in human intentions. 聽Through parables and teaching Jesus refocused the people. He would lay open their greatest fears to the harsh light of reality. He knew the fear of losing individual security could be excessive. He saw that it could lead to startling individual greed. For some, no amount of money or possessions seemed to be enough.
Human intentions and what drives them are seen in the little things. Social justice requires we pay attention to the little things. They are the foundation of larger systems. What values shape our laws and those who interpret and enact them? Where is prejudice and economic fear built into decision making?
Perhaps an inclusive and accessible program for school supplies might be a small step, and it surely wouldn鈥檛 cost much. 聽But the message that every child is valued equally could have a far-reaching impact. 聽It might have the effect of creating community and tradition which have no room for stigma and prejudice
聽If all our decisions are based on fear and greed, without consideration of the effect on our communities we have lost the very thing we seek. Security and belonging.
鈥淚s not life more than food? Is not the body more than clothing?鈥�
The Reverend Canon Nancy Ford, Deacon, is the Anglican Director of Deacons for the Diocese of British Columbia聽and Deacon to the City of Victoria out of Christ Church Cathedral.聽
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking,
* This article was published in the print edition of the TImes Colonist on Saturday, Sept 23 2017
