This We Pray | Sea of People

The times demand a response. Some people prefer prayer and contemplation. Others prefer action. Both are acts of civil disobedience in their own right, just at opposite ends of the spectrum. Over the years I’ve come to believe that both are indispensable, that they are two sides of the same coin, distinct but inseparable. Prayer can be a powerful tool, but it is slow in its effect. I’m reminded of the saying, often expressed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.' It does, but very slowly. Hence, the call to action. But action without contemplation is easily led off course, often into wanton destruction and violence. To constrain that tendency, prayer and contemplation are essential, for they provide the moral ground for 'right action,' action that is positive, peaceful, and progressive. And that, in short, is the essence of these two seemingly disparate visual poems: they are commentaries calling us on the one hand to prayer and contemplation, and on the other hand to action.