2023 Week Three: Can the Center Hold? — A Question for Our Moment

July 8–15

We can think of “the center” as the middle in political and economic terms: furthest from the edges of society and a place of status quo, moderation and balance. We also use center in reference to a physical space where a community comes together — to worship, to heal, to support one another. And “center” can mean the center of one’s being, the place one seeks in quiet moments of reflection. The center is many things, but is it foundational to a functioning society, or a construct that too often holds us back from progress and change? Does losing the center give way to extremism? In this week we consider who and what defines the center of society and why — or if — the center should be preserved.