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<div class="container section__content"> <div class="content"> <h1 class="sr-only">Who We Are</h1> <section id="introduction-with-background-block_5fd3287424d6f" class="section__intro section__intro--block container with-colour pattern--pink pink"> <div class="intro__message"> <p>“What the world needs is people who have come alive.”</p> </div> <div class="logo"> <svg viewBox="0 0 100 100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="100" height="100"><title>unitarian chalice</title><path d="m55.88 47.66c2-3.31 3.6-8.11 3.6-13.93-.01-11.43-9.48-22.43-9.48-22.43s-9.47 11-9.47 22.44c0 5.82 1.59 10.61 3.6 13.93-.5-1.71-.82-3.66-.82-5.81 0-8.04 6.69-15.78 6.69-15.78s6.69 7.74 6.69 15.78c0 2.14-.31 4.09-.81 5.8m-5.88 20.84 12.02-18.5h-7.45l-4.57 7.03-4.56-7.03h-7.45zm0 17.6 29.23-36.1h-8.04l-21.19 26.17-21.19-26.17h-8.04zm41.15-36.1-41.14 41.15s0 0-.01 0 0 0-.01 0l-41.14-41.14s0 0 0-.01c0-22.73 18.42-41.15 41.15-41.15s41.15 18.42 41.15 41.15m-81.05 10.1 29.8 29.8c-14.61-3.68-26.12-15.19-29.8-29.8m50 29.8 29.8-29.8c-3.68 14.61-15.19 26.12-29.8 29.8m39.9-39.9c0-27.61-22.39-50-50-50s-50 22.39-50 50 22.39 50 50 50 50-22.39 50-50" fill="#0079fc"/></svg> </div> </section> <p id="paragraph-as-heading-block_5f9b5952b1017" class="heading"> “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”</p> <p id="paragraph-as-heading-block_5fd328a024d70" class="heading"> Howard Thurman</p> <p><em><span class="has-inline-color has-blue-color">Howard Thurman (1899-1981) American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader.</span></em></p> <p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-blue-color">When we come alive, we are in connection with nature, with life, our roots, our spirit. We are at ease, and connected to our inner power.</span></strong></p> <p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-blue-color">Yet so much in our modern world creates barriers to what makes us come alive.</span></strong></p> <p>Unfulfilling jobs, social inequality, disconnection from nature, lack of community, tiring work patterns and financial instability are common – even without pandemic. The power structures we live among continue to discriminate through race, gender and sexuality. Our society encourages the love of money and power. It has become the norm to seek happiness through consumerism.</p> <p><strong>We know this doesn’t work.</strong></p> <p>Barriers like these make it harder to act in the interests of the greater good – or even in the true interests of ourselves. They encourage behaviour that is hurtful to those around us, and mean we make decisions that are harmful to people far away, and to the planet.</p> <p>But many of us are filling the gap that mainstream consumerist, individualistic culture cannot; addressing the universal human longing for kindness, connection, meaning and purpose, for feeling a part of something bigger than ourselves. We recognise the interconnectedness of all life. We are seeking a more loving way of living.</p> <p>Today, society is at a crossroads. Challenges like pandemic, inequality and the climate crisis demand a radically different way of thinking, being and doing.</p> <p><strong>It is a challenge to which we can all bring our power.</strong></p> <p><strong>It is a challenge that we can meet when we come alive.</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.unitarian.org.uk/where-we-stand/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more about what we stand for on key issues like LBGTQIA+ equality, climate change, racism, and assisted dying.</a></p> <p>Watch this video to find out more about who we are:</p> <figure data-od-added-id id="embed-optimizer-9891d774cb6be68e61ca8133b7a00be1" class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div data-od-xpath="/HTML/BODY/MAIN[@id='content']/*[1][self::DIV]/*[1][self::DIV]/*[17][self::FIGURE]/*[1][self::DIV]" class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <iframe data-od-added-loading title="From Vision to Action: The Next Steps" width="500" height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_XzvQlGp1zw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" data-load-mode="1"></iframe> </div></figure> <section class="section__whoweare container "> <div class="columns-wrapper"> <div class="column third colourbox linkbox radical-thinking"> <div class="linkbox__link"> <h2 class="heading"><a href="https://www.unitarian.org.uk/who-we-are/radical-spirituality/">Radical Spirituality</a></h2> </div> </div> <div class="column third colourbox linkbox radical-past"> <div class="linkbox__link"> <h2 class="heading"><a href="https://www.unitarian.org.uk/who-we-are/radical-community/">Radical Community</a></h2> </div> </div> <div class="column third colourbox linkbox 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