Dramatic moments of social disruption and violence often precipitate a state of social liminality, a shared sense of confusion and disorientation resulting from the sudden disappearance of norms, boundaries, and safety. In recent times federally authorized militias have descended on American cities, ostensibly to enforce immigration laws and detain persons with inadequate legal standing or criminal records. The net which has been cast, however, has been indiscriminate, brutal and unprofessional. The masked and often unidentified agents have  violated constitutional rights. They have terrorized the citizens of cities and states that do not share the politics of the President. The violent surge has resulted in the detention of American citizens, the violation of children and hard working families, and the deaths of peaceful protesters.

The cumulative impact of these events has created an atmosphere of dread and looming sense of uncertainty. How does one respond? What is the best way to resist and keep communities safe? In what ways can the vulnerable be protected? Do political solutions hold any promise in the presence of rising authoritarianism? Is nonviolent active resistance enough? If I am able, do I leave the country and flee into exile?

The answers to any or all of these questions are altogether unknown.

The fact that one has entered the liminal tunnel never insures a certain kind of outcome. All we know is that the foundations of structure will be shaken and new forms may emerge out of the chaos. Human agency and the peculiar oddities of circumstance all contribute to the future which has not yet arrived.

What is certain is that liminal guides are required to point individuals and groups toward a new horizon. These liminal guides are seasoned mentors who have negotiated chaos before and help people walk the pathways again. They cannot walk the road for people, but they can walk alongside them, noting the traps and potentials along the way. Some knowing of the way is logical, but much is not. Much is intuitive, creative and imaginative. The most impactful leaders in such times are those who are able to cast a vision of what might be on the other side of wilderness.

The great religious traditions of the world major in making such transitions. They are mindful of human limits, what happens when things disintegrate, and the underpinnings of invisible energies and powers. Luminaries speak the language of living, dying, and starting over again. They tell stories of wilderness temptations, enduring suffering, and learning to trust the true rather than the false. Hope is not placed in the transitory, but instead in the infinite.

In this moment in history it yet remains what we shall become. Countless civilizations have passed this way before. In this regard Americans are not in the slightest way unique or exceptional. The future on the other side of the liminal belongs to those who carry the right kind of humility and courage. It will not be easy. But living in the time between the times never is. Take heart.

Tim Carson, co-curator