“The Necessity of Tilting at Windmills”

Service auction sermon October 23, 2005
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church Rev Kimi Riegel

Sermon:
Each year we have the fantastic service auction. I hope you plan to attend. It is a social event and a chance to raise money for the church. Every year, this year being no exception, I auction off a Sunday sermon. You pick the topic and I preach the sermon. Mark Denny chose the topic for today, “The Necessity of Tilting at Windmills.”

The phrase “tilting at windmills” comes from the famous story Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Tilting means to attack, usually on horseback, and windmills being, in this case, a literary metaphor for the impossible or perhaps imaginary foe. In this very long book, which I have not read in its entirety, an aging Knight sets out on adventures.

Quixote was pushing fifty, which was elderly for the 17th century, and has spent many months, perhaps years, sitting at home reading tales of chivalry and daring. He decides that what he needs to do is to live the life of the gallant, wandering knight. He has a lady love who does not know he admires her (very 14th century kind of love) and yet it is in her name that he gives up the comfort of food, shelter and safety. He sets out to right the wrongs of the world. The novel portrays him as mad at worst and simply delusional at best. He attacks the windmills thinking they are giants sent by some evil force. All along the way he encounters many characters; some that are kind to him and others who take advantage of his delusions to play tricks on him.

Many in literary circles question whether Quixote is really mad or simply playing the part to show how foolish this idea of chivalry really is. Much has been written about the violence caused by chivalry which literally means service on horseback. These chivalrous knights were men, beginning in the 13th century, who traveled the countryside in service to the church and all that is good and right. Some believe the writing of Cervantes was in fact a criticism of the Catholic Church and its “foolish” ideas.

However, despite their acts of violence, there was a kind of nobility as these knights were sworn to a certain code of conduct. The knight was to accomplish the duties of his station, to speak the truth, to maintain right, to protect and champion the distressed, to practice courtesy, to fulfill obligations of duty, and to vindicate honor. Don Quixote himself does great deeds as often as he does foolish, dangerous and violent acts.

And so it is true of us. If we never set out on impossible, foolish and even delusional quests there is much good that would not be accomplished and yet there is danger in the very journey itself.

For us moderns I think it is important that first we decide if the foes are in fact imaginary, for if they are, we are wasting our time. It is important to ascertain whether you believe the windmills to truly be giants or simply windmills.
An Episcopalian colleague of mine once said that Unitarian Universalists are tilting at windmills and everyone knows that this is a post theistic age. What she meant was that most people in the world understand that the word God is simply a way of saying that which is beyond comprehension and description. No one, she seemed to be saying, really believes there is a humanoid God in heaven making everything happen. She said that to me 15 years ago and I have not forgotten it. Mostly I think because I want the chance to tell her I think she is wrong. That windmill is a giant. Many people in this country and around the world believe there is a God and HE is on their side. Unitarians and Universalists on the other hand have for centuries called on reason to judge what we must believe in terms of the ultimate questions. It is not logical that a God would be on my side or your side. An ultimate deity would have the wisdom to see there is no good to come from taking sides. An ultimate deity in control of the world would not let the atrocities occur that have occurred. When I hear my colleagues in the ministry business say that the people in New Orleans, Shri Lanka, Iraq or wherever deserve what they have gotten; it is God's wrath, I understand this is not a post theistic age. People do think that God brings vengeance and frankly the job of Unitarian Universalists is to put a different message out there. We must continue to tilt at that windmill because it is really a giant!

So that windmill is real at least from my perspective. And therein lies another issue. Was Don Quixote crazy? Was his perspective on reality twisted? Could he judge whether the windmills were real or not? In a modern example I have heard it said that our government must stop tilting at windmills and address the real issues people face everyday. See now there, I agree. This construction of a windmill of fear of everyone else in the world is destructive. That is a windmill that is not only a waste of our time and resources it is doing real harm to real people everyday. It is a false giant. But maybe I am just tilting at windmills saying that. There is no way my little sword and old horse is going to have any effect on that huge windmill of the government of our country. But is that true? I think our government is a giant at which we must tilt especially as they tilt at windmills!

If the foes are imaginary that is one thing. If the metaphor of windmill means something that is not real we must face the fact and not waste our energy. Such as when we fight with people just because that’s how it’s always been done. But if the foes are simply impossible to beat, overcome or win against, then that is another task all together. If the windmill is just so big and beyond our abilities then there are many other things to consider.

First we must address the question of what is impossible. The reality of the word changes with every day. It was impossible to fly. It was impossible to have a computer small enough to fit on our desks. It was impossible to transplant an organ. It was impossible to have the Israelis pull out of the Gaza. It was impossible to have fresh tomatoes in the winter. It was impossible to … You fill in the blank. What is “impossible” changes every day. It has been said nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. Or all is possible if we but have faith. Impossible means hard to imagine but it doesn’t really mean it will never happen. Impossible means impractical or without a solution but it doesn’t mean it can’t ever be done.

There are, for instance, those things that feel impossible to us. Losing 10 more pounds, getting a new job, finally putting our families first in our lives; all sound impossible. But they are not. We have seen others do it. We have even come close to accomplishing those things ourselves. The reality of these windmills is they are not really giants. Sometimes the giant is just a giant and with a little effort we can accomplish our goal. Then the necessity of tilting at those windmills is the sense of accomplishment we have. When we lose 5 pounds, when we get several interviews, when we get a weekend away with our families, we have not slain the windmill but the giant isn’t so big anymore. The sense of accomplishment builds momentum and the forward movement is possible. What once seemed unattainable now seems reachable. Those are windmills at which it is essential to tilt.

Of course there are those windmills that are giants because they will not be slain in our life time. We will not see an end to war. Racism will likely be a part of our world. Religious freedom will still be a goal we strive for. And there will certainly be hunger and suffering in many parts of the world when my life comes to an end. Those are truly giants. But the old saying comes to mind, nothing ventured nothing gained. We are called to tilt at those windmills no matter how crazy we look to the world. Risk, hard work and even looking foolish makes progress. Those that watched Quixote from the sidelines might have been inspired to add their efforts to the cause. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt and many others never accomplished their goals. The windmills they faced were tremendous giants. But face them they did and because of their efforts we are father along the path. Tilting at windmills is essential for progress. Collective effort just might bring about the momentum to bring down a giant.
Of course I hear you say there are things that are truly impossible. To you I say what is impossible? Have we created giants out of things that are simply windmills? Perhaps all we need is a bit of flame to turn that wooden windmill to a pile of cinders.

So what is the necessity of doing the impossible? The possible becomes possible when we tilt at windmills. Even in our most outrageous efforts we show to others the possible made from the impossible. We show the same to ourselves. Inspiration is catching and tilting at windmills is how we spread inspiration. So my friends what is your giant? What windmill shall we tilt at this week? Let us Dream the Impossible dream!

Namaste.