No Greater Misfortune

Today on the threshold of summer I am reflecting on this passage from the Tao Te Ching:

When a country is in harmony with the Tao,

the factories make trucks and tractors.

When a country goes counter to the Tao,

warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.

There is no greater illusion than fear,

no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,

no greater misfortune than having an enemy.

Whoever can see through all fear

will always be safe.

-Tao Te Ching, verse 46 (trans. Stephen Mitchell)

National politics is at the center of public attention with the June 14^th fighting spectacle at the White House, the ongoing war in Iran, and the Independence Day holiday coming up. July 4^th invites us to define what America means to us; and too often, under many presidents, it has meant warheads stockpiled outside of cities--or worse yet, launched against another sovereign nation. I believe in the possibility of world peace, and I believe that grassroots movements of the people are the way we get there. People connecting across nations.

To that point, the World Cup soccer tournament now underway allows us to glimpse what rivalry, comraderie, and decency looks like in a diverse world. I watch highlights of the games and see opposing nations on the soccer field, thousands of fans wearing their nation’s colors in the stands, and athletes embracing one another after the game—win, lose, or draw. Forty-eight nations have sent their teams and fans to this tournament, with most of the games played in US cities, and it is a display of world diversity and culture. Soccer players and fans often demonstrate more love across borders than politicians and generals do.

Finally, the statement that “there is...no greater misfortune than having an enemy” applies to personal and communal life as well as international affairs. In our personal and family lives, we sometimes dwell in fear and imagine conflict where there needn’t be any. And in our communities—workplaces, neighborhoods, and this Fellowship—we sometimes spend time on unimportant areas of disagreement rather than leaning into core areas of harmony. May we heed the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching and seek harmony by overcoming the fear of difference.

PRAYER:

Blessed summertime, sweet days of June stretching into the heat of July, bless us all.

May the season bring peace and renewal.

May we find our way to the wisdom of community and the beauty of human diversity.

May World Cup games, Fourth of July celebrations, and human gatherings of every size and shape be opportunities for love and human connection.

May it be so.

Rev. Drew Frantz

June 17, 2026