Save one life at a time

“Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.” (Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a).

These words were among the scriptures quoted last Friday at an interfaith prayer vigil held at First Presbyterian Church by Faith Coalition for the Common Good (FCCG) – an emergency gathering in response to the state-sanctioned violence besetting major cities across our country.

As a family physician, I often reflect on the positive ripple effects that come from taking one person’s concern seriously: a grandmother’s blood pressure, a father’s arthritis, a child’s abdominal pain. One person’s wellness does not only shape their own quality of life; it also determines their ability to participate fully in the ecosystem of their family and community. Now more than ever, I am struck by how deeply our physical health is intertwined with the health of our society – and how closely our health outcomes are bound to the pillars of a functioning democracy.

I joined the board of FCCG because of its commitment to housing equity, environmental justice and social justice. Since joining, however, there have been increasing calls to speak out on a widening array of seemingly unrelated social harms, many tied to the uniquely aggressive American expression of executive power. The law enforcement systems that allow an officer to serve only 90 days for putting a woman into a coma while driving under the influence are the same systems that turn a blind eye to illegal sex trafficking, and the same systems in which accountability for lethal violence is rare. A police state with historic roots in slavery is now further entangled with the military-industrial complex, manifested through agencies such as ICE.

It is impossible to fully isolate one social ill from another, just as it is impossible to separate the body from the mind, or the nervous system from the vascular system. Everything is connected.

We all deserve to feel safe in our homes and in our bodies. We all deserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Perhaps it is time, as a nation, to recognize that “law and order” less often requires an iron fist and more often a steady, guiding hand; less often punishment, and more often accountability; less often vengeance, and more often restorative justice.

In the Christian tradition, we are the body of Christ. In many secular and spiritual traditions, we are fragments of a shared universe observing one another: an expression of love becoming conscious of itself. No matter your faith, as a sentient human being, you are called to love your neighbor as yourself.

This calling asks us to dig deep: to see ourselves reflected in the eyes of a stranger, even in the eyes of those we call our enemies. As the saying goes, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.” Let this be the generation that rights wrongs while keeping its vision intact. Let this be the generation that achieves a nonviolent revolution in health care, social welfare and society itself, by saving one life at a time.

Join us Feb. 25 at AFL-CIO Building for the Faith Coalition’s Good Trouble Task Force Listen Lead Share event. This event starts at 5:30 p.m. Join fellow union members and grassroot community organizers in a powerful conversation that drives change. April 24 is the Faith Coalition’s Spring Gala at Erin’s Pavilion. Tickets and information are on Faith Coalition’s website.

Julia Rozier is a board member of Faith Coalition for the Common Good. If you have any questions or want more information on how to get involved, email tyshianna@faithcoalition-il.org or visit https://faithcoalition-il.org/.