Comment by Forrest Curo on 2nd mo. 8, 2018 at 12:10pm

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God, traitors, blasphemous meddlers with Divinely-ordained oppression and violence.

Comment by Keith Saylor on 2nd mo. 12, 2018 at 4:41pm

A recent post on quakerquaker (http://www.quakerquaker.org/profiles/blogs/sa-ed-atshan-on-the-quak...) shares a summary of an interview published in Friends Journal. In that interview these words are published.

In peace and conflict studies, we teach our students to embrace conflict. We teach our students that conflict is important and we should not avoid it. It’s the way we resolve our differences and address our misunderstandings or disagreements. But it’s important to raise conflict in a way that transforms it.

Their are a number of current Quaker bloggers who have shared and promoted the outward principle of peace through conflict. It is refreshing the read a educator who admits that he embraces conflict in the pursuit of peace. Adherence to the principle of embracing conflict in the pursuit of peace is one of the fundamental assumptions that marks a consciousness anchored in and a conscience informed by outward political and religious principles, moral, ethics, and the institutions that promote them, for it is of the very nature of identification with and participation in outward forms, ideologies, and institutions to manifest and embrace conflict through agitation.

The interviewee is also quoted as saying:

When instead we avoid conflict, we become passive aggressive, and the underlying issues continue to simmer.

Certainly the avoidance of conflict can lead to passive aggression and further conflict among those people whose consciousness is anchored in and whose conscience is informed by outward political and religious constructs and contrivances, however, the interviewee seems only interested in supporting the principle of conflict in pursuit of peace by suggesting the denial of his principle can only lead to passive aggression. This is not true. There is another way.

This different way is of a different nature or essential being than that promoted in this interview. There is a Life wherein all outward principles or principalities are laid down. In this different consciousness and different conscience, immanent Presence takes form in the consciousness and conscience and it is discovered and directly experienced that all outward principles (like embracing conflict in the pursuit of peace) no longer inform or guide the conscience. The power of these outward principles to agitate, rule, inform, and guide, the conscience is lost in the formation of immanent Presence as sole and sufficient guide. Truly, there is no occasion for conflict in pursuit of peace because Peace itself is come and is taken form in the conscience. The experience of coming out of adherence to, identification with, and participation in, outward political and religious constructs, contrivances, and institutions and coming into identification with and participation in immanent Presence itself in itself as sole and sufficient guide in all matters of human relationships is the neutralization of the power of those leaders, teachers, and institutions who seek to control and inform people through a identification with and participation in their outward political and religious constructs and contrivance. Most people who promote adherence to outward principles do not acknowledge or speak to this different experience of being ruled and governed by the Life of itself in itself on this earth, for it negates their power and the outward principalities they support and promote.

It is to be appreciated that this article manifests the truth, by the interviewee’s own admission, that consciousness anchored in and a conscience informed by outward principles and institutions promote, encourage, and embraceconflict in the pursuit of peace. These peacemakers use conflict in their pursuit of peace.

Personally, I am thankful I am come out of such a way of relating to other human beings and, through the appearance of the inshining Light itself and the formation of immanent Presence in my consciousness and conscience, I am come into a life that knows Peace itself in itself in my human relationships and activities upon this earth. I am come out of a life that seeks, pursues, and promises a peace through conflict by promoting adherence to and using the outward political and religious ideology, contrivance, principles, and institutional weapons of war over against human being and relationships to resolve in the pursuit of peace. Such a way, is no different than using outward military weapons of war against human beings and relationships.

Comment by Forrest Curo on 2nd mo. 12, 2018 at 5:42pm

You don't seem to get what people mean by a phrase like "embracing conflict."

It does sound silly, but it doesn't mean starting a conflict or harming people to get your way.

It's more like recognizing a conflict when it exists -- like engaging with that fact rather than trying to avoid saying that those nice people you're called to protest against aren't treating their victims cruelly.

Comment by Keith Saylor on 2nd mo. 12, 2018 at 5:57pm

Your response doesn’t acknowledge the full nuance. The reality is much more dynamic  than it seems you wish to admit. There is definitely a sense of nurturing conflict and even promoting it. I experience it when I’m on the street sharing the sufficiency of the inshining Light to political activists, irrespective of their outward political identity.

Comment by Forrest Curo on 2nd mo. 12, 2018 at 7:50pm

Human beings, whether activist or inactivist, do have ambiguous feelings towards conflict.

It is an unpleasant nuisance, but it's a feature necessary to their stories. It gives everyone something to do.

But there's no shortage. In a pinch, people can stir up a conflict over nothing; but generally one just needs to keep one's eyes open.

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