Weekly Newsletter: Dumbo Feathers

​Dumbo, the Disney character known as the flying elephant, was given a “magic” feather by his friend, Timothy Q. Mouse. While holding the feather with his trunk, Dumbo believed he could fly — and so he did. Without the feather, however, he was certain any attempt would be met with disaster. Dumbo learns at the end of the movie that the feather was merely a prop to give him the confidence he needed. His ability to soar was always inherent in who he was.
 
Let us give credit to the feathers of belief. Without them, some people would never realize that the power to soar lies within them and nowhere else. For some people, religion has become like Dumbo’s feather. Without the religious institution and buildings, without the structure and stricture of the religion they adhere to, they fear they would never make it on their own. Religions provide a Dumbo feather which enables its members to soar. It also provides a place of love and safety, and so we honor and support its efforts.
 
But, in time, people also recognize the weaknesses of religious faith. They realize they can fly with or without the feather of religion. The beauty is we don’t have to choose one or the other. We can have both. The feather gave us our launching point. The feather can provide the courage to take the first leap of faith, and our lives can be enhanced by a balance of religion and spirituality.