Chris Farrelly writes that by being companions in solidarity we share our resources so everyone can survive and thrive.
"Prepare for winter!” This is the message we’re hearing as we head into autumn with Omicron widespread. But many people are enduring a “winter” that’s lasted since the beginning of COVID — a “winter” of ongoing poverty and hardship.
In preparing for a harsh winter we estimate its duration and plan accordingly. We hope not just to survive, but to thrive. Albert Camus wrote: “In the midst of winter I discovered an invincible summer.” In the worst winter experiences of inhumanity and cruelty, suffering and struggle, we frequently glimpse that “invincible summer” when the very best of humankind emerges as courage, generosity, creativity, compassion and solidarity.
This has been my experience over my 40 years of ministry. I saw the strength and goodness of humanity when I was living and working in a South Korean slum, accompanying people dying of AIDS, witnessing the intergenerational impact of colonisation on Māori whānau in Northland and experiencing the shame and travesty of large-scale homelessness and food insecurity in Auckland and throughout our country. Now as I reflect on these diverse experiences, I can see that while the problems and the solutions are many and complex, our strength is in community — our willingness to companion one another in times of hardship.
Companioning Is Sharing
I've recently become a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The word “companion” comes from the Latin com-panis — together with bread — and came to English via the Old French compaignon, one who breaks bread with another. To companion is to share a meal. In this most human of experiences there is a sense of intimacy, reciprocity, vulnerability, gratitude and an overriding sense of presence.
As companions there is a sense that even the most difficult of journeys and challenges can be navigated not alone but as part of a group, who hold one another up, “feed” and sustain one another.
A Language of Liberation
A friend tells me that in Portuguese companheiro, is used to describe those who are in the luta (fight) against poverty — the struggle for justice for all.
I reflect on the power of Liberation Theology as the glue for community building and action in the Church in the later part of last century, particularly vibrant in Central and South America. It applied the Gospel to the core concerns of marginalised communities in need of social, political or economic equality, and justice and liberation from oppression.
The theologians and church leaders such as Gustavo Gutierrez, Jose Comblin, Leonardo Boff, Ernesto Cardinal, Jon Sobrino, Archbishops Saint Oscar Romero, and Helder Cāmara continue to inspire that struggle today.
Closer to home I think of a number of New Zealanders who, inspired by Liberation Theology, spent significant parts of their lives living among the poor in different parts of South America building Basic Christian Communities and being companheiro with the people. These include Josephite Sister Dorothy Stevenson, Mercy Sisters Margaret Milne and Mary Gordon, Columban Missionaries Don Hornsey and Paul Prendergast and Marist Tony O’Connor.
Avoid Stereotypes
Liberation Theology tried to address the many inequalities that underpin poverty. The poverty of 1960s Latin America wasn’t just an issue of people “not having enough money”, but of ancestral injustices embedded at every level of society. Here, in Aotearoa, the situation might be less extreme, but it is equally complex, and we should be wary of stereotyping poverty — offering one explanation and one solution.
We can think to ourselves: “People getting food parcels don’t budget properly — they all need to be taught budgeting”. But underneath and surrounding each situation are many other stories which need to be uncovered and heard in order to bring about understanding and for reconciliation, healing and transformation. This requires solidarity — not an outsider looking in.
The Role of Trauma
One of the many stories of poverty is that of intergenerational trauma. Now, many health, education, justice and social work services use Trauma-Informed Care (TIC). TIC understands the pervasive nature of trauma and promotes environments of healing and recovery. It also has ongoing assessment so that practices and services do not re-traumatise people inadvertently.
Strength of Human Spirit
We’ve learned that we cannot stereotype poverty. We’ve also learned that the strength of the human spirit is common to all people: a spark which cannot be extinguished no matter what the external forces.
What keeps the spark going? I've asked many, many people this question and there's a commonality in their responses: the influence of memories, a dream for the future and the support of community, family or whānau.
Remembering
We need to companion with one another, but we also need to companion with our own pasts — our history. Memories are a powerful energiser. “Ka mua, ka muri. Walking backwards into the future.” Memories connect us with people, events and situations in the past so that they give support to endure tough times in the present. Memories are enhanced through story telling, music, art and poetry. These contribute to keeping memories alive, and they inspire purpose and action today.
Hope for the Future
And when we’re inspired we have hope. Our hopes and dreams not only show a possible future, but also give us the energy needed to participate in the coming of the future. The dream is never perfectly formed from the beginning, impervious to change, turmoil or failure. Frequently it can be a dream strained, shattered and reformed, through circumstances such as loss, adversity, failure, conflict, depression, weakness, and yet it is one of the most significant motivating and energising forces in our life and a central component of “spirituality”. The inevitable reshaping and reforming of the dream throughout our life requires an ability and humility to be helped by others.
Community
Ultimately, we’re talking about community. We can’t stereotype those experiencing this “winter” — they are complex individuals living in complex situations and are experiencing poverty and hardship for complex reasons. There are many solutions to poverty, but at the root of them all is community: companioning one another through a time of hardship. We will need to share our resources — our bread — equitably.
I have an image of walking as a group committed to reaching a destination and assisting, holding, encouraging one another at different times during that journey.
Sharing Winter
So as we prepare for “winter” let us hold the promise of the "invincible summer" for everyone within and around us.
We can approach this season as a community and put aside our self-interest to become present to one another as neighbours and companions.
“E hara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini. My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective."
Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 268 March 2022: 6-7