Vulnerability, unity and justice

In "Unity Through Vulnerability," Gerald wrote:

"Expect more posts from me on vulnerability."

I hope he will post more on vulnerability. The idea of vulnerability as a part of unity intrigues me. It might be a way of approaching humility and unity without getting lost in some popular misconceptions about them. I'm thinking also of "meekness."

In my "Deeds Not Words" blog I wrote about working to improve my conduct, and learning from others. This might be a good place for me to start. I've been thinking of Gerald as an example of not drawing lines, and exploring this idea of vulnerability with him might be a good way to learn from him.

In a comment to that post, Brendan wrote:

"What makes unity so really hard is that you still have to find a way to challenge and to oppose perceived injustice without a sense of separation from those you perceive as the agents of that injustice."

I was thinking of that too, when I was writing about fellowship across divisions over Baha'i administration. As I see it, a lot of estrangement from the Baha'i community and its institutions has been partly a result of injustice and abuse. It seems wrong to me to want our castaways to practice fellowship with people on our bandwagons, without addressing the abuse and injustice at the same time. Justice and kindness are inseparable parts of the unity I see envisioned in the writings of Baha'u'llah.

I see that issue addressed very well in Abdu'l-Baha's and Shoghi Effendi's advice about race issues.