Comment by Jim Wilson on 3rd mo. 20, 2014 at 1:09pm

Good Morning:

I've been thinking about the question of how to shift away from the budget transfer point of view, which was the issue you originally raised.  This is tentative (in a way I'm thinking outloud here), but my feeling is this: Less Politics, More Light.

I mean that I think we should place our trust more in the inner light and less in 'fixing' the world.  My feeling is that modern Quakers have a weakened sense of the Presence of the Divine and because of this they focus on political solutions and fixes. 

For the politically engaged this probably sounds mystical and irresponsible; but it is my feeling that I am actually assisting people the most when I am dwelling in the Presence.  And, further, my feeling is that this is what the Quaker tradition is really about.

Jim

 

Comment by Olivia on 3rd mo. 20, 2014 at 5:03pm

Jim, you speak my mind.    Throughout the above comment and also as as you said earlier 

"I honestly don't know how to foster cooperation on this issue.  It seems to me that taking a political approach is, at root, part of the problem.  From my perspective, the Quaker community at this point in time is far too immersed and enmeshed in what Keith refers to as 'outward forms'.  In a sense I don't think that a genuine transformation can be brought about by political means. "

A far varient on this is what seems to have been a recent focus for me (and I know I'll fail to describe adequately here) that is something in the nature of non-judgment.  It seems to be about step after step after step of removing my clarity from my own viewpoint until I am deeply unbiased and seeking only Light. 

At some point in the process I felt aware of my thinking that "this person or this system is only acting out because they have such grief!  If only someone would reach out to them about their grief maybe they would stop trying to war and legislate the rest of us...."

Then deeper in, I became aware that even this thinking was still a form of "judgment" and that God was calling me to let go of other people and their systems and actions and allow ALL THIS to flow -- perhaps this is the non-resistance to evil -- and it's truly "wrong" feeling to us on a human level. 

In the particular situation I found myself, I allowed God to have even that (my compassionate intent that I thought was fine and right) and found that on the other side of that suddenly I sensed something that I'll just call Light.     

I'm thinking that it operates along the lines Jesus speaks of when telling us that if we think we see clearly then we are blind.  We ALL think we see clearly.    But if we practice returning only to the Light and that which will guide all of our decisions, it seems to always go a different way and offer new ideas and perhaps a new clarity.   But as I think Jim understands (and surely may articulate better than I) this clarity seems to be only in some context of choosing to not-know-for-oneself. 

Matt, as a side note:  on a personal level I appreciated your comments and also wanted you to know that a recent discussion Keith started (click here) seems to reveal that we all are speaking from a wide variety of viewpoints about politics!  

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