Crises can bring out the best in us. We become supportive, generous and confidence-inspiring. We saw this in the recent floods, when the emergency services were strengthened by established groups, like the Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul, as well as little armies of people who rolled up their sleeves and helped out.

It’s in the aftermath of an immediate crisis, when the helpers have gone back to their homes and media attention has shifted elsewhere, that feelings of isolation and fatigue can overwhelm us. We can fall into disgruntlement — after all, we had no say in the disruption that nature visited on us and yet we are left to deal with it.

This is the time when we need the attention of our political systems — the mayor and local council, churches and community groups, government departments — to advocate for, unify and spread encouragement and hope among us. We need them to live up to their roles and vocations and to support us. We need them to demonstrate that those suffering are not alone.

This is why politics that intentionally divide the community — as shown by US former President Trump’s and Samoa’s former Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi’s resistance to their countries’ election results — express a loss of vision, integrity and efficacy in governing for the common good. In the Church, it’s when major diocesan decisions which affect all members — such as amalgamating parishes and closing parishes — are made by the bishop and clergy without allowing members to be part of that decision-making. Personally, as Patrick Snedden explains, it’s when we’re unaware of our racism towards other community members and continue to limit their access to citizenship.

Working for better politics, whether at the individual, community of national level, means sharing a vision of love, justice and the common good. That means we need to talk to one another about it more. Pope Francis is calling for better politics in Church governance and has initiated a synod which will happen probably in 2023. He is asking every bishop to consult with the people of their dioceses — to listen to and understand what parishioners are saying — before they go to Rome. In our country the government is making changes to legislation to better protect people and Earth. These have included a law change to stop the trafficking of people in Aotearoa and regulations introduced to stop the pollution of water.

Politics that benefit all the community rely on a shared vision. We thank the contributors to this 262nd issue for encouraging our conversations through their reflections, research, art and craft.

And as is our custom, our last words are of encouragement and blessing.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 262 August 2021: 2