GREENSBORO – Greensboro resident Eleanor Guare has been curating Voices of Spirit column in The Hardwick Gazette for some time now. Voices of Spirit is intended to offer commentary and reflections, sometimes about current events, while providing a religious perspective or tying in a spiritual theme. Guare shared her inspiration behind starting and curating the column, and insight about her experiences thus far.
Beginning November of last year, her tireless efforts have since resulted in a weekly column, with contributions from a variety of area churches and faith communities. She shared where it all began, and why.
The last election cycle and subsequent media coverage, for some, was an ongoing cycle of negativity and fear. Guare felt similarly, “I was really struck, like maybe others were, with the reality that our country had elected a leader, who actually said right out that his term would be about revenge and retribution.
“And that really scared me because I’ve always looked up to leaders, I was raised that way, to look up to people who were in leadership positions. I just started feeling like it was difficult for me to get aligned with that kind of vision. . . I felt a responsibility to get involved. I really wanted to stand up for people, and myself.”
Guare says she asked herself what more could she do, especially to make a difference on a local level. A self described introvert, she says she’s always enjoyed writing. With The Gazette’s continued expansion in subject matter, the collaboration seemed a good fit. She sought to be a breath of fresh air, so to speak, amid the continued crises plaguing both state and national media.
“You guys had really expanded the coverage and provided more topics of interest, and I started to be afraid that readers, anybody reading the paper or looking at the news or listening to the news was going to be overwhelmed. I thought to myself, I wondered if readers would appreciate reading something different, something from the perspective of people who were, let’s say, like, faith leaders or rabbis, leaders who were respected for their work in that particular domain.”
Respect being key, “I wanted people to speak from their knowledge and wisdom,” she said.
Guare wasn’t interested in seeking perspective from complete strangers, or a generalized spiritual editorial column. She also didn’t want to write a political column.
Looking to faith leaders amid hard times is an age old practice, a useful tool for many in our present day. Guare created a centralized, literary space to do so.
“I just imagined that people would be looking for people to talk to about ‘why is this happening?’How should we face this? Why are people being so mean? What is this going to mean for us going forward, and that people would want to hear from somebody who had something to say, that made some kind of a sense.”
She continued, “I wanted it to be written by people who believed in the divine. Now, I know that that’s a really big statement and it’s hard to get your arms around, but I think there are a lot of spiritual people in the world, spiritual leaders, and I was trying to think, well, what makes one different from the other. I think they believe in the divine, that there’s something bigger than ourselves, something that is possible to move in a life giving way.”
Previous attempts to start a religion column had been unsuccessful. Guare had reservations, not wanting to alienate readers. “I thought, we’ll give it a wider berth.” She did just that, seeking contributions from monasteries, rabbis, area Christian churches and more.
Admittedly though, it hasn’t been easy, “One of the things that was challenging is that I really wanted it to be diverse. I didn’t want it just to be a Christian column or just to be a Buddhist column. I wanted it to represent a whole variety of different types of beliefs. That continues to be challenging. The hardest part of writing the column really is engaging people to write.”
“I know that in our community there are some really diverse perspectives. There are people who are associated with churches that are a little bit more Bible oriented, or there’s a large Jehovah’s Witness community. There’s a big Mennonite community. I would love to go and sit with them and have them speak for the column. I’ve started to reach out to people from different types of perspectives. I worship in a Christian congregation, but I’m really comfortable and appreciative of any opportunity to worship or pray with anyone who believes that. We all have a voice that comes from our spirit.”
While the work comes with its difficulties, as the column’s curator Guare has especially enjoyed reading others’ work. “I love seeing what people come up with. I love being surprised, like when Sister Gale from the monastery, wrote that one spiritual piece about the little wisdom that she had to offer, which was the value of making your bed every morning… I had asked somebody to write and they came forward with a piece about DEI that presented all the biblical references to the existence of DEI.”
Guare says she’s regularly surprised with what people come up with. She says some contributors use their weekly sermons, like ministers or other preachers, as food for the column. “I think that’s great because I know how much time people put into writing sermons, but I also like stories. People have stories about an event that they went to that said something about the beauty of the human spirit, or what can be done when people gather together. To be honest, it helps me too. I think we write about things that we need to learn and need to know. I have to be very grateful to all the people who’ve submitted stories because I have learned a lot about how to get through this, what we’re going through.”
The column began last January, almost a year of tireless coordination and collaborating on Guare’s part. In curating the column, she tries to find a balance in subject matter and different faith perspectives. She gathers materials ahead of time to ensure variety. “I like to have at least three, with two in the can, because if I did something highly scripture related last week, I’d like to do something lighter the next week… I find it hard. I mean, I need more. I need more voices of difference.”
Guare says she’s seeking more writers. For potential contributors, she has few requisites, “They don’t have to be overtly spiritual or an ordained person but it is important I think that they have some credibility in standing up for their spiritual perspective… I’d like readers to know that. I’m very interested in thoughtful perspectives on our national and global feelings of crises. How to look at that from the viewpoint that there’s more to this, that being a human being and getting through this is possible.”
Guare knows the column is not a catch-all for negativity, but hopes it is a tool, “One person said to me, what is this intended to be, a salve? And I said, no one can put a salve on this. It’s not intended to make people feel better, as much as it is to get people to think about it in some new ways.”
Guare expressed her extreme gratitude for those who have contributed or even considered contributing. She also expressed her gratitude for the column’s warm reception thus far. For those interested in contributing, contact Eleanor Gurare at [email protected] or reach out directly to The Hardwick Gazette via [email protected]
Raymonda Parchment is a Hardwick Gazette reporter. She recently graduated from Vermont State University - Castleton with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, and the right to publish information, opinions, and ideas without censorship or restraint. She is a lifelong lover of the written word, and is excited to join the team as a staff member.
