Friends Bulletin-Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends-April 1995

16 Pages·1995·1.6 MB·English

F
riends Bulletin
PACIFIC, NORTH PACIFIC, AND INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETINGS
OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Volume 63, Number 7 April 1995
*
,
f: -
III
*. : -> 4 *"-
Intermountain Yearly Meeting
June 21-25, 1995
Theme:
Registration deadline:
Living the Community ofFaith May 26, 1995
—
(Same as last year a two-year program)
Ross Worley, Registrar
Hwy
Keynote speaker: 10525 550
CO
Loida Fernandez, Durango, 81301
FWCC staff member from Mexico City, Mexico [phone] (h)
[phone] (w)
Meeting place: [phone] (FAX)
Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado worley_r @ flc.colorado.edu
—
PAGE 102 APRIL 1995 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Editorial Comments PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING
Everyonce inawhileI'llhearaFriend say, "Thatwasn'tvery Presiding Clerk: Ellie Huffman [phone]
1008 Franklin St
Quakerly."
CA
Monterey, 93940
I'mnotsurewhatitmeanstobeQuakerly,butIhaveafeeling Assistant Clerk: Andrea English [phone]
that in the context ofthe above statement there's an implication 1746 Virginia
CA
of perfection, of always doing the right thing. Berkeley, 94703
Thesense I getfrom thatis that ifone isaQuakerone always Treasurer: PPhOylBliosxJ4o9n3e5s99 [phone]
does and saysthe right thing. I hate to tell you this. Friends, but Redding, CA 96049-3599
I'm a very human Quaker and I frequently do things I wish I'd JuniorYearly MeetingClerk or contact person:
done better. I often hear words come out of my mouth that Danielle Daggerty [phone]
should never have been uttered. 625 E Grandview
CA
AndIgetintoconflicts.Igetangry. Iyellatmyhusband. Iget Young FriendSsiCerlrearkMaodrrceo,ntact9p1e0rs2o4n:
mad at the cat. We all feel anger. Sometimes I think that Karen Lawrance [phone]
underneaththei—deaofthingsbeingQuakerlyis—theconceptthat 668 Marsolan Ave
for real Quakers those who are good enough everything is Solana Beach, CA 92075
peaceand lightandconflictdoesn'texist. Ofcourse it does. And NORTH PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING
sometimes we handle it better than others.
I remember how hard Eastside Meeting worked on the Presiding Clerk:
question of posting bond for refugees. I remember one person 4M3a0r2gaWroeotdSlorarwenl Ave N(206) 632-9566
leaving a meetingin tearsbecause personalities got involved in WA
Seattle, 98103
the discussion. Shortly after we moved to Corvallis I found it Steering Committee Clerk:
interesting that at the same time Corvallis Meeting was wres- Pablo Stanfield [phone]
tlingwithwhetherornottocutdownthe laurelhedge, Eastside PO BoxW45A522
Seattle, 98145-0522
Meeting was considering whether or not to have a piano in the
Treasurer: Charlie Kimball [phone]
worship room. (They did, and they didn't.) 04862 Oceana Dr
OR
In this issue Jonathan Taylor writes about "Friends and Florence, 97439
Conflict." He looks at examples of conflict in his life and in JuniorFriendsClerkor contact person:
Quaker settings. He considers how we deal with conflict and Katy TNhoErsos [phone]
19627 140th Street
warns us that even with the best-laid plans, we do go astray. Woodinville, WA 98072
All we can do is try. And sometimes try again. Young Friends Clerks or contact persons:
Rachel Wildflower [phone]
922 SE 38th Ave
"I'W-'j cu^r\ OR
Portland, 97214-4315
Kathy Hyzy [phone]
P.S. The following seemed to fit in an issue that deals with Linfield College Unit#2334
Friends and conflict. McMinnville, OR 97128
A Bumm
All About Anger: Survey* Secretary: Lexanne [phone]
N
2342 50th St
by Ned Damon, Pima Meeting WA
Seattle, 98103
I conducted a survey of how people deal with their anger. I INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETING
interviewedelevenpeoplefromPimaMeeting.Iaskedeachone, Presiding Clerks: [phone]
"How do you deal with your anger?" Most people gave more Bill aWnd Genie Durland
than one answer. 605 Pine St
CO
Trinidad, 81082
Fivepeoplesaidtheywould"shout."Thereweretworesponses
Continuing Committee Clerk:
each for "quiet," "cool down," "get it out and get it over with," Vickie Aldrich [phone]
"read," "walk," "get unhappy," "pout," and "sit on him or her." 1517 E Boutz Rd
NM
Therewasoneresponseeachfor"bebymyself"and "loudmusic." Las Cruces, 88001
I thought some of the answers were not too good, but I Treasurer: Jan Miller [phone]
211 Fifth Ave, #204
thoughtthatotherswerebetter.TheonesIthoughtwerethebest Salt Lake City, UT 84103
A
weren'tdamagingtootherseitherwithwordsoractions. little SeniorYoungFriendsClerksorcontactpersons:
overhalfwere good responses in mybook. The meeting maybe Matt Kowal [phone]
shouldhavesomeactivitiestohelp peopledealwiththeiranger 6880 Zenobia Circle, #4
CO
Westminster, 80030
better.
Jeanette Blanchard [phone]
Ned Darnon is eight years old. 861 Lewann Dr
* From Life in the Light, Pima MeetingNewsletter, February 1995, p. 3. Gallup, NM 87301
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN APRIL 1995 PAGE 103
Friends Bulletin Table of Contents
All About Anger by Ned Damon 102
TheofficialpublicationofPacific,NorthPacific,andIntermountain
Quakers and Conflict, by Jonathan Taylor 104
Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends
1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR Become an Agent for Social Change —
97330-2055 by Peter Bergel 109
A
Spiritual Journey or a Pilgrimage of Faith
Editor, Nancy Yarnall
by Madge T. Seaver 110
757-0981
(503)
George Fox in Colonial America
[email protected]
by Jim Boone 110
Book Review Editor Ritual among Friends, by Ramona Silipo 111
Grace Buzaljko, 612 Albemarle, El Cerrito, CA 94530 FGC Hymnal Report, by Anne Friend 111
[phone] Friendly News 112-113
IMYM Corresponding Editors New Mexico Regional, by Elizabeth Buckley— 112
Mary Lou Coppock, 1 127 E Belmont, Phoenix, AZ 85020 Colorado Regional, by Randy Herric—k-Stare - 112
Randy Herrick-Stare, 501 E First Ave, Denver, CO 80203 Winter MGOF, by Maria Arrington — 113
Alice H. Stokes, 1722 Saddle Hill Dr, Logan, UT 84321 Willamette Quarterly, by Ruth Arrison Evan 113
Elizabeth Buckley & Deborah Richards, 13418 Mountain View NE, Memorial Minutes — 114
Albuquerque, NM 87123 A1d4v-ertisements — 115
—
NPYM Corresponding Editors Vital Statistics — ——-----— —— 115
Jim Coates, PO Box 377, Red Lodge, MT 59068 Ca15l-l to Meeting IMYM 1995 116
Ruth Evan, 477 E 32nd Ave, Eugene, OR 97405 r~
WA
Diane Ste. Marie, 10430 57th Ave S, Seattle, 98178
Calendar
PYM Corresponding Editors
John Fulbright, 3038-A Waipuna Rise, Honolulu, HI 96822
April 1995
Bobbi Kendig, 3275 Karen, Long Beach, CA 90808
Ramona Silipo, 1613 Tyler St, Berkeley, CA 94703 16 FirngieFndUsNinCoUmnmiittytweiet,hQNuaatkuerre,CePanctiefri,cBYeenarLloymMoenedt,-
Friends Bulletin Board of Directors
CA.
Clerk: Rob Roy Woodman, 2532 Westemessee Rd, Davis, CA 95616 17 WyomingFriendsSpringGathering, Sheridan, WY.
[phone] 23 Colorado Regional Meeting, Mountain View Meet-
SW
Treasurer: Annis Bleeke, 3540 Corbett Ave, ing, Denver, CO.
Portland, OR 97201 28-30 Forgiveness,withWilliamKreidler,QuakerCenter,
Recording Clerk: Randy Herrick-Stare, 501 E First Ave, Ben Lomond, CA.
Denver, CO 80203 28-30 New Mexico Regional Meeting, Kingston, NM.
Pat Daggerty, 625 E Grandview, Sierra Madre, CA 91024 28-30 Utah Friends Fellowship, Canyonlands UT.
Lucy Fullerton, 4334 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105 May 1995
Arden Pierce, 3498 South Court, Palo Alto, CA 94306 6-7 Southern California Quarterly Meeting, La Jolla
SendallcorrespondencetotheCorvallisaddress. Deadlineforcopyisthe Meeting, La Jolla, CA.
firstofthe month precedingthe month ofissue. Wegladlyacceptcopyon 6-7 Willamette Quarterly Meeting, Portland, OR.
3 1/2” PC or MAC floppy disks in any well-known word-processorformat. 20 Steering Committee, North Pacific Yearly Meeting,
We alsoacceptcopy bye-mail (addressabove). Olympia, WA.
June 1995
• FRIENDS BULLETIN (USPS 859-220) is published monthlyexcept 3-14 IMYM-AFSC Joint Service Project, Hopi and Dineh
lands in the Four Corners region. (Southwest)
FebruaryandAugust byFriendsBulletinCorporation of theReligious
NW 8-11 Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theological
SocietyofFriendsat 1620 MenloDrive, Corvallis,Oregon97330-
Conference, Newberg, OR.
2055. Telephone [phone]. Second-class postage paid at —
9-11 Cabrini #13 1995, Pacific Northwest Gathering of
Corvallis, Oregon.
Lesbian and Gay Friends, Camp Coleman
•
Subscription Rates: $20.00 peryearfor individuals, $16.00 peryear (Longbranch Peninsula), WA.
for group subscriptions through meetings. $14.00 per year for a 17-21 IMYM-AFSCJointServiceProject, WesternSlopeof
student/lowincomesubscription. Firstclasspostage$5.20additional. Colorado, on the way to IMYM.
Foreign postage varies. Individual copies $ 2.00each. 21-25 Intermountain Yearly Meeting, Fort Lewis
• Postmaster: Send address changes to FRIENDS College, Durango, CO.
BULLETIN, 1620 NW Menlo Drive, Corvallis, OR 23-25 The Ethics ofImmigration: Envisioning Right Rela-
97330-2055. tionship, Quaker Center, Ben Lomond, CA.b
—
PAGE 104 APRIL 1995 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Colorado Regional Meeting, September 1994.
QUAKERS & CONFLICT
by Jonathan Taylor, Fort Collins Meeting
Introduction
When I was asked if I would give the keynote talk at Somebody always likes things the way they are (the
Colorado Regional Meeting, my first reaction was to ask privileged); otherwise things wouldn't have gotten this
"Why me?" We all know that no one can know anything way. Thesepeopleresistchange; theymay defendtheway
important about any topic unless she or he lives at least things are with their very lives, because change means
two states away. Secondly, this function is only for gray loss, sometimes even loss of the ability to survive.
haired, venerable ladies or gray-bearded men. Then, of Somebodyalways does notlike things theway they are
course, I noticed my reflection in the bathroom mirror. (the have-nots) and they desperately want change. This
But I remembered the legitimate reason that my name tension means conflict, and sometimes conflict is painful
occurredtothePlanningCommitteeofColoradoRegional: and difficult.
mypredecessornamesake. Afewyears ago atIntermoun- The most profound change that every one of us has
tain Yearly Meeting in Durango, the keynote speaker undergone (and will undergo, except for death) is birth;
talked aboutsomeofthenot-so-nonviolentconfrontations from liquid-floating attachments to our mothers' wombs
thathave takenplaceamongFriends. Specifically,hecited tofree-breathing,independentseparatebeings. Thatbirth
the instance where, in the mid 1800s, Jonathan Taylor, model reminds us that profound change does not come
Clerk ofOhio Yearly Meeting, had his glasses broken and about without great effort and very often pain.
his Clerk's table smashed in an altercation in Meeting for A Real Quaker Example
Business. If I know anything about conflict and Quakers, One of the most damaging things that we can do is to
I suspect I came by it honestly. avoid conflict at any cost. I have a real Quaker example of
Basic Points this.YoungFriends,atIMYMinDurango,wentintotown.
There are four basic ideas that I would like to express: Onthewayback, acoupleoftheboyssawabeerpartyand
• Conflict.Conflictisanextremelyvaluablecommodity, decided to crash it. The other Young Friends got tired of
besides being inevitable. waitinginthecar.Twooftheyoungergirlswentin, gotthe
• Scale. Often it's not the big problems or conflicts, but keys,andtriedtogetthetwoguystocomebackwiththem.
the little ones that defeat us. They refused.
• Diversity. Since conflict is about differences, probably The two girls agonized over what they should do.
the healthiest response is to love differences. Everyone had signed a no-booze, no-drugs pledge when
• Sentience. Ifsentientbeings are going to effect serious theycametoIMYM. Shouldtheyreportwhattheboyshad
change from destructive impulses and behaviors, doneornot?Theyaskedme,andItold them tofollowtheir
—
we'llhave to use thebest tools we have our minds. own conscience. They reported the incident.
To illustrate these points. I'd like to tell a few stories BecauseIhadworkedwithYoungFriendsbefore,Iwas
frommypersonalexperienceandexperiencewithFriends. asked tobe on the eldering committee whichhad been set
up tohandlesuchproblems. Theboyscame into theroom,
Conflict is a Valuable Commodity hesitantly, but the convener told them, "Come on in, this
I do some professional work in environmental and isn't a tribunal." The boys said, "We didn't do anything
natural resources dispute resolution; some ofwhat I draw wrong," and someone else said, "Nobodynecessarily said
uponcomesfromthisresearchand literature. JamesLaue, that you did." I wondered what I was doing in the room.
how
oftheUniversityofMissouriinSaintLouis,pointsout Intheend,theelderingcommitteedroppedtheball:the
critical conflict is for change. boys left happy, the adults left rather embarrassed, and I
Social conflict is the continuous process of redistribut- leftso furious Icould barely speak. The two girls received
ing power and resources within and between social sys- thebrunt ofthe conflictfor "ratting on their friends." Two
tems. It is the most dramatic, far-reaching form of social Young Friends wrestled with their consciences and
changebecausepowerandresourcesarerarelygivenupor finally did what was right instead of what was comfort-
turnedovertootherswillingly.Therefore,socialconflictis able. Butthe adultsleftthemstranded. Thetwobestactors
inevitable and highly desirable, unless one holds stagna- in this drama were the ones who got laden with guilt. I
tion as a desirable social goal. had some of my own guilt to deal with because I didn't
The only alternative to conflict is stagnation into the stand up to thewhole ElderingCommittee and say "NO!"
status quo. Th—is is especially true in the context ofa finite • Conflict is healthy; as a snake needs some abrading
resource base the only way one personcan getmore is if surface to shed its skin, we need conflict to change. I
the other loses some. say, embrace it!
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN APRIL 1995 PAGE 105
• Conflict makes us alive. onlyall-nightservicestationintown, paid forthetires, for
• Conflictlets us discoverwhateach other really thinks, mounting the tires, for a tank of gas, and for a battery
below the surface. charge. Then he gave us some money for breakfast. We
—
• Conflict opens us to new depths both in ourselves had to talk him into taking a check from us. He said, just
and in others. send me a check when you get home.
• Responded tocreatively,conflictcanstimulatesolutions That night, I woke up because Suzanne was coughing
that no one ofus could have come up with on our own. and coughing. The mechanic, leaning in the back of the
The key, I believe, is to break the linkage between van to check the battery had said, "It's just those sulfuric
conflict and violence. When our two kids were fighting acid fumes making your wife cough like that." We got
with each other, and I went to stop it, one told me, "she home exhausted, but safe and grateful the next day. We
made me mad-and-I-hit-her." These two ideas were sol- had made it through the ordeal!
idly linked in his mind—in both of their minds, in many A few years later, we told this story to my Aunt Clara.
minds. This was not a series of related ideas; mad-and-I- She turned to Suzanne and said, "My Gawd, and you're
hit was a single idea. It's like some good friends we had still living with him?" That's when we had the fight.
whenwe lived in Washington and the children were quite We know we have to "gird our loins" for the big
small, whom we always referred to as Jackie-and-Ken. problems, the big conflicts we confront. We don't know
This combination was so embedded in the kids' minds what "girdingourloins" means, but we gird themjust the
that when Suzanne, one day, said something about Ken, same. But the little ones sneak up on us when we aren't
Caitilin said, "No, Mommy, it'sJackie-and-Ken." Mad-and- even looking.
I-hit, mad-and-I-screamed, mad-and-I. It's the uncoupling In Tucson, at Pima Meeting, we had a major conflict
of conflict from violence that is the difficult task. Conflict, over what the Meeting was going to do in response to the
OK; mad, OK even; butviolence doesn't necessarily follow. problem of undocumented immigrants. Several Friends
Butthereallywonderfulthingaboutconflictisthis:not were helping these poor people: Jim Corbett, who was on
only is it very, very healthy, but also (unlike most of the "60 Minutes," and many others, providing aid and shel-
really valuable things in life that are so scarce) conflict is ter. Several ofusbrought the idea ofthe Meeting endors-
inevitable. I know ofvery few things in life that are both ingthesepeople'sactions,sotheywouldnothavetostand
We
extremely important and so totally unavoidable. alone. suggested some means of identifying them as
Big Problems versus Small Ones "acting on behalf of the Meeting."
Most of the time we somehow steel ourselves to the The Clerk shepherded this difficult issue through a
series of potentially eruptive business meetings.
really tough problems, but the little nasty problems sneak
Friends said:
up on us.
• These are real human beings, individuals who are
trouEsarclaymipnionugrtrmiaprirniaoguer,wSounzdaenrfnuelahnidppIiheavdana.vTehreyrdeiwsaass- exhausted,hungry, oftensick, carryinglittlechildren.
aproblem withthe generator. Whenwehad to turnon the bIfetihemyp'rriescoanuegdhotraknidllrede.turned, they are very likely to
lights atnight, the carwould slow down, the lightswould
pdiums,headntdoisttawrto.uWled acrhrailvleednagteouusrlsaesrticouasmlyp.grIotuhnaddontoouber • tDreufeytienngetthoef Qguovaekrenrmfeanitth,!breaking the law, is not a
wanadywheomheadtoaTfluactstoinre,.—bWuhtethnewceampputwoanstfhulel.spIatrwe,asit dhuasdk,a •• QoTupheaenk,meorlessttdtoehnfef'metcebtdriivaega,wktanhyoeywtjowupshtraodttoew!cet'oruerdsoeilnvge.s is to be
blow-out bubble on it a thumper.
Sowethumped and dim-litourway toa road-sidestop The Clerk reminded Friends not to restate their posi-
where we could sleep untillight. But a guy drove up with tions several times; she called for silence often; she laid
a trailer full ofsnarling dogs which he started to let out of aside issues for seasoning (and until some tempers
theircages. Isaid,"Dothosedogsbite?"andhesaid, "Yup, cooled). Intheend,byaclearsenseoftheMeeting, aletter
stuhruempdeo!d"ouSrowwaye irnotloleSdprtihngeervvainlled,owtnohtihlelontloysgtaarstsittatainodn mofemsbupeproartndwaatstenddrearfhteedlpianngdthseirgenfeudgefeosr. eItaecxhplMaeienteidnign
for which we had a credit card. We were, of course, broke. both English and Spanish that these people were doing
Thegasstationwasclosingshortlysotheyrefusedtohelpus. the work of Pima Friends Meeting. The issue deepened
A Pima Meeting.
very friendly Arizona Highway Patrolman came to A
ourrescue. He tookme to the WesternAuto store owner's few months later, with Pima Meeting straining the
home and got him to come out and sell me a couple of seams ofits fairly small meetinghouse, the resident care-
decent used tires. Meanwhile, Suzanne was sitting in the taker experimented with a new pattern for arranging the
van, alone and a bit concerned at a closed-down gas chairs in meeting. The Meeting came unglued and went
station, leaving onlyher and a pickup load ofyoung men, off like a nuclear explosion. Some pretty unkind things
someofwhom werequitedrunk. Thecoppushed ustothe were said among Friends.
—
PAGE 106 APRIL 1995 FRIENDS BULLETIN
For many Friends meetings, Quakers make up rela- MargaretFellandherchildren. TheJudgewasnotathome.
tively small communities. Some of our squabbles sound Ridingacross the treacheroussandsofMorecamb Bay,
an awful lot like small-town bickering or even family where quicksands can take a rider and horse. Judge Tho-
bickering. When everyone is into everyone else's busi- mas Fell was returning to Swarthmore. He was met by a
ness, there canbe a disturbing lack ofprivacy. Ofcourse, delegation of townsmen. "You must hurry home," they
the reason we "always hurt the ones we love" is because told him. "A madman has come to Swarthmore Hall and
they are the ones we know how to hurt. Strangers have a he has bewitched your wife and your children."
—
hard time getting to us very effectively unless they are Thomas Fell was the regional judge, a pillar of the
—
bashing us with some hard object because they don't Anglican church; he held the power of life and death
knowwheretopush.Strangershavetotakerandomshots; firmly in his hands. In the 1650s, a husband could get a
close friends know where the sensitive spots are. gossiping wife condemned to wear a "gossip's mask," an
Asmall, intimatecommunityisnotonlycapableofthe iron cage that clasped around the head, with a rigid iron
deepest sharing, caring, support, and love; it also is vul- tongue that reached inward, into the mouth, suppressing
nerable to mutual damage or destruction. We already thehumantongue. Restrainingchairs for the insanewere
know this only too well from our family experiences. inthedungeonsofLancasterCastle,notfaraway. Ajudge
The same thing is true at the scale ofthe monthly meeting could do a great deal worse than these restraints to a
of the Society of Friends. bewitched wife, who had losther reason, or to a madman
On Righteous Indignation who had bewitched his wife and children.
Thomas Fell hurried home to Swarthmore Hall, and
I have been wrestling for well over a year with what
when he got there, he listened. He listened to his wife,
position "righteous indignation" ought to hold in the
Margaret, he listened to George Fox, and when he had
litany of emotions that are mine. Is it totally evil? Are
there times when it really is a correct response? Either listened, he told Fox that he was convinced that George
had found "a way forward."
way, I believe it plays far too big a role amongst our Judge Fell opened hishome to the Religious Society of
emotional drives.
the Friends ofTruth, whichnow included the Seekers. He
Personally, I have found myself being harder, more
capableofmeanness,whendefendingmywifeorchildren protectedthissmallgroup frompersecutionbythe Angli-
than I ever would in defendingmmyyself. Among Friends, bcaanmofifnicitahles.tLoawtnerihnteocaonmveeerttiendgahcoounsnee,ctsiontghhatouFsreieanndds
IitfhcraIenafgeteeeltnedmdo.ywnSmroeimegethtithnfigenrgoorcisioowuurrsoiynnoguwnhgreifgnrhiIteeanomdusswiianlrdleiinghgnuartttoigooonr wmaoiunledd,hafovretaheprleascteofafhtiesrlhifee,waamsegmobneer. oTfhtohmeaCshuFerlclhroef-
to lengths which I would not countenance in my own wEnhgelnantdh.eyHmeetdiindhinsotdiantitnegnrdoFormieantdSswaMretethimnogr,enHoaltl.evBeunt
defense. Something here needs very careful monitoring.
I know, for myself, that I must carefully monitor my hedidkeepthedoorofhisoffice, twodoorsdownthehall,
open, and could hear what was spoken in meeting. After
ownindignation. There are definitely things thatI should
— his death, Margaret married George Fox.
beangryabout thingsthatarewoefullywrongandneed
correction. However, if I can see my fervor going beyond Judge Fell had to remain in the Church of England. If
he had not, he would have been stripped from office.
whatIwould dotodefend myself, Imustlookcarefullyat
whatI'mdoingandwhyI amdangerouslyclose toinflict-
ing damage!
Diversity: Did George Fox Find a Way
Forward or the Way Forward?
The person from early Quaker history who I believe
exemplifiesbest the principle of loving diversity, offind-
inga deep strengthinaccepting, inembracingdifferences
was never a Friend (capital F). I want to paint a word
picture of Judge Thomas Fell.
GeorgeFoxhad climbed PendleHillwherehehadhad
avisionofspeakingto themultitudes. Hehad traveled to
Briggflattswherethevillagewashavingahiringfair, then
up to Firbank Fell where, from the rocky hillside outside
the chapel, he spoke to the gathering of 1,000 people: job-
fair people and the Seekers. For threehours Fox spoke to
the people, telling them, "Let your lives speak!" George
Fox traveled to Swarthmore Hall where he preached to
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN APRIL 1995 PAGE 107
We
unable to protect the beginnings of Quakerism. If Judge to help; they had money. filled out a simple, straight-
Fell had ridden home that first day withhis mind already forward (Quakerly) loan application. We called ten days
made up, as much as my mind has sometimes been going later and the loan was approved. Signanote, and wehave
into meeting for business, there probably would be no our Meeting House, thanks to Friends in our Meeting and
Religious Society of Friends. to Friends United Meeting.
True Quaker Diversity These two groups are diverse! We're probably more
comfortable consorting withUnitarians; they're probably
The first time I really learned the value of true Quaker more comfortable in the company of Baptists. We dis-
diversity, I was shocked. We'd been going to meeting for
abouttenyears.OneSunday, theClerkoftheMeetingrose cover that we cannot get by without each other.
How We
and told a joke! I was shocked, sitting there trying to Get to Conflict Without Violence
—
achieve a proper state of pious solemnity. Violence, as most of us know especially those of us
He said, "Sometimes, Quakers remind me of the story who are blessed or cursed with more testosterone than
—
about themanwhojumped onhishorse androdeoffinall estrogen is a visceral response to conflict. Fight or flight
directions." Then he went on to make the point, very is inherent, instinctivewhenconfrontedbysuddenthreat.
effectively, that rather than feeling guilty because each Itisasdeep-seatedasprocreation,sustenance,andshelter.
one of us cannot personally address every single issue, We don'tjust create, provide for, and shelter our families
—
injustice, or need that confronts us, each Friend needs to we also protect them. That is part of the reason my
focus on those few things she or he is best at and most righteous indignation can burn so fiercely.
compelled by, and trust that other needs will be met by For a very, very long time, many nonpeaceful human
Friends, other people for whom those needs are most responses were adaptive, contributing to the survival of
Homo
important. sapiens:
—
Thomas Kelly makes the same point which he de- Strong group coherence coupled with intolerance for the
scribes as the essence of Quaker simplicity. We shouldn't threat ofoutsiders equals prejudice, in today's world.
clutter our lives by trying to solve everything for every- Quick-action responses to threat with fight or flight for
one, nor by feeling guilty for not trying to solve some of protection equals threatening behavior.
the problems. Taking action to prevent further damage to the group
We should do what we do well and trust in the diver- with righteous indignation equals violence.
sity ofFriends (and others) to cover (not all, perhaps) a lot Instant recognition of what's good and what's bad,
of the present needs. what's threatening and what's not equals prejudice
Quakers would like to think, sometimes, that we're a and closed mindedness.
Society of like-minded people, choosing to forget the Itisfascinatinghowdeep-seatedand immovable these
schisms inQuakerhistory. Quakershavecreated somany reactions seem to be.
splinter groups over three and one-half centuries that
Zajonc [pronouncedlike "science"withaZ],anexperi-
today's Quaker structure looks more like a chip-board
mental psychologist, has studied the formation ofprefer-
than a religious plank. ences. He showed slides of scenes and objects for one-
When I work with Young Friends, they often ask, eighth of a second or less to human subjects. The subjects
"How come there are so many branches of Quakers you
consistently were able to record whether what they saw
can't keep track of them? Quakers are supposed to be so was something good or bad, liked or disliked. They could
tolerant, but they can't tolerate each other!" not identify what they had seen, but they knew very well
My response has been, "Quakers believe that God
whether or not they liked it. Moreover, these likes and
speaks to every one of us directly, rather than through a
dislikeswerevirtuallyunshakable,verydifficulttochange.
preacher or intermediary. When God speaks to all these After these subjects were shown the slides for more rea-
folks,they'reverylikelytohearquitedifferentmessages."
sonable lengths of time, they could construct rational
Sometimesour problemmaybe ininterpreting thatvoice,
explanations for what was liked or disliked. Zajonc's
that inspiration of God in Jederman, as singular divine conclusion: Preference needs no inference; we react in-
guidance. "If I am inspired by God, then I must be right. stantaneously with like or dislike, good orbad, to people,
Therefore, if we disagree, you must be wrong." objects, environments; later, we rationalize why.
Thebest present-day example ofthe value in diversity
Others, such as Carl Sagan, have written about the
istheFortCollinsMonthlyMeetingpurchaseofourmeet-
brain-stem or "primitive brain" origins of these instinc-
inghouse(aftermorethanthirtyyears).Wehadmorethan We
tive behaviors. have evolved other thinking parts of
half the money needed in bequests and gifts, but banks
our mental apparatus, but the earliest functions persist.
wouldn't touch us. We had tried all kinds of options.
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
FGC'sFriendsMeetingHouse Fundwasoutofcapitalbut
We
suggested we contact Friends United Meeting's equiva- This is a frightening thought. respond first, then
lent—FriendsExtensionCorporation.Theyweredelighted think up good reasons for why we did whatever we did.
—
PAGE 108 APRIL 1995 FRIENDS BULLETIN
But, you really can teach old dogsnew tricks. I grew up in the role of environment.
afairly violenthousehold. There conflictwasnotcreative, The parents' role is not just to accept their children's
itwasdestructive. Theviolencewasphysicalinpunishing given temperaments, but to take what their children are
the kids, psychological in a constant struggle for domi- givenand help them to turn thatto strength. Thebold can
nance between parents. I imprinted on that. When our learn to be brave in loving and inclusive ways. The inhib-
kidswere little, theywere oftenspanked. IfI didn't getmy ited can learn to rely on an inner strength that is virtually
brain in gear fast enough, the hand was already traveling. unshakable.
You have to try to picture this: When I went in to do As Friends, part of our introspective meditation is
something about the kids fighting, the I-got-mad-and-I- about who we are. That meditation can be extended into
hit-him business, I went roaring in like a wounded raging whatwewanttodowithwhoweare,whatkindoftwigwe
bear. I was going to beat that violence out of them. want to be on our inherited branch. Our meditation then
Ifwe were going to have a different kind ofhousehold turns to the question: Where does that which is greater
for Suzanne and myself, for Brennan and Caitilin, I had to than ourselves, that of God, the Inner Light, guide us in
retrain myself. I had to direct myself according to who I howwedirectwhoweareintowhowebecome,usingboth
believed myself to be, and govern my actions in response our sentience and our universal selves to strive to become
tothat.Ihadtousemysentiencetodirectmygrowth:brain our better selves?
in gear before hand goes in motion! Friends in conflict can consciously recognize that very
Remember the classic picture ofthe Quakers sitting in strongconvictionmaystemfromtwoquitedifferentorigins.
silent meeting when the Indian warriors burst in, and the When I think about homosexuality, I discover I have
meetingcontinued tositinmeditativesilenceintheface of very strong convictions about sexual orientation and its
averyfrightening,violentthreat?Thatwasnotthenatural, relationship to my spiritual foundation in meeting.
visceral response to violent threat, as any one ofus knows WhenItrytoexpresswhatIwantfromameeting house
—
who has heard the audience cheer out loud when John the ambiance that supports meditation and expectant
—
Wayne—loseshis questionable control and really decks the waiting I discover strong, deeply rooted convictions.
villain and felt a sympathetic response in our own in- These convictions may well come as a result of deep,
nards. Those Friends found and held to a deeper convic- openspiritual seeking thatshows me away forward. But,
tion, even, than that instinct for survival. such strong convictions may be based equally on my
There is a fascinating article in a recent issue of the innate ability to—instantaneously recognize whatIlike and
Atlantic Monthly which reports on research, in various whatIdon'tlike toknow,evenbeforeIunderstandwhat
places in the world, on primates, on separated human something is, whether it is good or bad. In both circum-
twins, and on other human behavior that very strongly stances, I may know these things in an unshakable man-
suggests that much of our temperament is biochemically, ner. We construct quite plausible rationales for our likes
hormonally set. Researchers are discoveringwhatpercep- and dislikeswhichareveryresistant torational argument.
tive parents have known for eons: that children arrive at Zajonc points out that even the most reasonable argu-
the door with a great deal of personality or temperament ments do little to dissuade a child from his dislike of
inplace. We arebeginningto unlocksome ofthebiochem- turnips.
istry of temperament via metabolites (end products) of Does this mean we must mistrust our convictions, in
active neurotransmitters in the brain. On the scale of these conflicts among Friends?
—
anxiety from uninhibited to inhibited anxious, inhib- Does thismeanwemustletgo ofwhatwebelieve tobe
ited primates, even at birth, have higher levels of norepi- good or bad, right or wrong and wait for the guidance of
nephrine. On the annoyance scale, from equanimity to the Light, for God to show us the way?
irritability, equinanimous primates and human infants I don't think so, though I'm sure I differ from others in
have higher levels of serotonin. some of these beliefs.
Nature versus Nurture ...the Inner Light may shine with
But this is not an argument for predestination; we do
different hues...
have strong sentient and environmental control. Univer-
sity of Michigan researchers, who have gone out furthest I think it does mean that we must recognize that the
on the limb of nature vs. nurture, estimate that our tem- Inner Light may shine with different hues, different focus
We
peraments are fifty-fifty, inherited and developed. in the various members of our religious community and
— —
cannot as parents, as a religious society sit back and that diversity is to be celebrated, not decried. We must
just watch how personality plays out. One temperament recognizethatconflictisnotonlyinevitable,butalsohealthy.
researcher, Jerome Kagan, a developmental psychologist I believe it means that if our focus remain—s firmly on a
at Harvard, describes the Hero and the Psychopath as greater good, we will speak once to an issue letting our
twigs on the same branch of temperament. How the convictionguideustomakeclearnotonlyourpositionbut
inheritedpropensityoftemperamentisplayedoutislargely whywehold thatposition.Thisthenrequiresthatweletgo
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN APRIL 1995 PAGE 109
of the impelling need to see that the outcome matches Become an Agent for Social Change
precisely theconvictionwebeganwith. Wemightstrive to by Peter Bergel
be as "Quakerly" as Thomas Fell.
There is a very real danger that pre-conviction may When we encounter something that is not functioning
escalate a trivial disagreement into a really serious prob- as it should, we are inclined to call a trained professional
lem. (It's the little ones that sneak up and get us, like how to fix it: a plumber, a doctor, a mechanic, a TV repair
person, and so on. Yet there are few trained professionals
to place the chairs.)
Often we realize (although, importantly, this is not to whom we can turn to fix our society.
alwaysthecase)thatthecollectivestrengthofmanyminds, ThePeaceTrainingInstitute(PTI),acooperativeproject
manyconvictions, many temperamentswill move aprob- involvingSalem,Oregon, citizensandWillametteUniver-
lem in ways which we could not have done individually. sity faculty, is designed to address the lack ofcomprehen-
Like collectively shouldering the wagon stuck in the mud sive training available to those who seek constructive
— so long as folks can agree which side of the wagon to change in our socio-political system. How do you run an
—
push from together we can do far more than I could electoral campaign, set up a community project, resolve
alone to move forward. neighborhood orglobalconflicts, raisefunds, dealwithan
Butweneed to recall avery importantexception to this attack on your person, or cope with burnout? These are
rule. It may be one individual who has found a way some of the skills needed by an effective agent for social
forward: asGeorge Foxhad whenhe spoke at FirbankFell change.
and in Swarthmore Hall; as John Woolman had when he Last summer PTI offered its first training program for
traveled among Friends as a lone voice speaking against socialchangeagents.Fortwoweeks,agroupofWillamette
Valley residents, including Polly Hare and Jay Penniman
holding slaves.
from Salem Meeting, shared a busy program ofexercises,
Best Laid Plans
presentations, meals, and readings. Those taking part
Finally,wemustrecogn—izethatthebestlaidplansofmice ranged fromveterans ofnumeroussocialchangeeffortsto
and men gang aft aglay that our careful planning for college studentsjust getting started. Several took advan-
handlingaconflictcanpuffintosmokerightbeforeoureyes. tage ofthe Division ofContinuing Educationcredit avail-
When the kids were in grade school, Brennan really
able to participants.
We
wanted a toy gun like every other kid he played with. This summer PTI offers its second summer workshop.
resisted for a long time but finally realized that we could For an introductory day (June 24) at Willamette Univer-
push him to a point of obsession. We bought him a cork
sity, participants will get acquainted, be assigned reading
gun,oneofthoseairriflesyoupumpupanditmakesacork material, and delve into the basics of Gandhian nonvio-
pop from the barrel. We sat down with Brennan and lence.TheywillreturnonJuly31 havingreadtheassigned
Caitilin andhad a serious heart-to-heart discussion. "This material, for a week and a half o,f intensive investigation
gun is only for playing hunting. It is never to be used for into nonviolence, use of the political system, organizing
playing shooting people." "Yes, yes." They agreed com-
techniques, and the values that underlie effective social
pletely.Thatsameafternoon,SuzanneandIweresittingin change work. On the final day (August 10) they will be
the living room whenCaitilinstreaked past the front door COPRED
joined by participants in the national (Consor-
screaming and there was Brennan right behind her with
tium on Peace Research, Education and Development)
We
the gunpoppingand yelling "Bang. Bang!" roared out
conference which will be held at Willamette University.
toputastoptothisviolation.Caitilinranbacktous,crying, Together they will carry out an extensive strategy plan-
"It's all right. Papa. I'm an antelope and Brennan's the ning exercise under the direction of PTI staff.
hunter." Those interested intakingPTI's summerworkshop are
OR
invited to write PTI, 333 State Street, Salem, 97301, or
callPeter Bergel at [phone] or Sam Hall at (503) 370-
Jonathan says:
6118 for additional information.
In 1970, shortly after our son Brennan was born, Suzanne
Peter Bergel is chair of PTI, a nonviolence trainer, editor
and I started attending Friends Meeting in Downers Grove,
Illinois. We attended the Pullman (Washington) Prepara- of The Oregon Peaceworker, and veteran of thirty years
of activism in peace and environmental issues.
tive Meeting for some six years and then joined Durham
(North Carolina) Friends Meeting in 1977. We have subse-
quently been members of Pima, Boulder, and Fort Collins
Meetings. Suzanne and I were co-adult leaders of the
Quaker Youth Pilgrimage to England and Northern Ire- Drawing by
land in 1992. I am now Clerk of Fort Collins Monthly Barbara Janoe,
Meeting, but so far have avoided getting my eyeglasses Central Oregon
broken or my desk smashed. Worship Group.
—
PAGE 110 APRIL 1995 FRIENDS BULLETIN
A Spiritual Journey or a Pilgrimage of Faith? George Fox in Colonial America
by Madge T. Seaver, Palo Alto Meeting by Jim Boone, Logan Meeting
LastyearIwasinvitedtojoinanumberofFriendstotell The visit ofGeorge Fox to the American colonies in the
my spiritual journey. The popular idea of spiritual jour- seventeenth century is hardly known to modem Friends,
my
neys has occupied reflections ever since. perhapsbecausetheaccountcomessofartowardstheback
First, Ihave wondered whatwe meanby "spiritual" as ofhis thickjournal. Yet Fox's story ofhis visit to the early
in, "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual;" or "Quaker wor- settlements, only half a century after the Pilgrims' arrival
shipisspiritual."Onthecontrary, thereisreasontoregard atPlymouthRock,isvaluableinrevealingthecolonialway
Quaker worship as incamational. That marvelous pro- of life and the state of Quaker Meetings already estab-
loguetothegospelofJohn (1:14)hasaclassic incamational lished in America. If Fox had been a skilled and prolific
statement: "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt writer, instead ofhaving to rely on summary dictation to
among us ... full of grace and truth." So when the Gnostic a willing recorder, we might have much more detail, but
asks, "Don't you believe in the Spirit?" our answer must the journal is revealing as it stands.
A
be, "Yes, I believe in spirit and flesh." decade after the restoration of Charles II, Fox trav-
Asforajourney,it isatrip;ithasnodestination.Iprefer eled to America tovisitmeetings scattered throughnewly
to speak of a pilgrimage of faith. A pilgrimage has a settledcountryfromVirginiatoNewEngland.Thestoryis
destination,asthepilgrimsoftheeleventhtothethirteenth oneofprimitivetravelthroughwildernessorsemi-wilder-
centurywereboundfortheHolyLand,butfirsttoSantiago ness on foot and horseback and of small-boat passages
de Compostela in Northeast Spain where they were ex- from Chesapeake Bay to Long Island Sound and back
pected to pray at the supposed grave of St. James and again. 'Twas no picnic! Fox and his party spent many
acquire the pilgrims' symbol, the scallop shell. Raleigh's nights camped out in woods and swamps or underway in
poem may come to mind: open vessels on the waterways. Their determination kept
—
"Give me my scallop shell of quiet. them going even though cold and wet without benefit
My staff of faith to walk upon. of high-tech gear from REI or any such supplier.
My
scrip ofjoy, immortal diet. Longseavoyagescamebeforeandafterthetravelsthrough
My
bottle of salvation. the colonies. Especially amazing is the longnumber ofdays
My gown of glory, hope's true gage. spentintheChesapeake,waitingforafavorablewindtostart
And my
thus I'll take pilgrimage." their square-rigger on its wayback to England.
As in Raleigh's poem, the pilgrim's destination was Fox's purpose ashore seemed to be primarily one of
Jerusalem;mydestinationistheuniversaloneofdeathand helpingmeetingsthatwere "out" tocomeback"in" again.
eternal life. There is also a particular destination this side Fox doesn't tell us exactly what he meant by "out," but I
ofthegrave: transformation. Paul's "Beyetransformedby surmise that "out" meetings were those that had faltered
therenewingofyourmind"istranslatedbyJ. B.Phillipsas in theirQuaker beliefs and had adopted practices ofother
"Let God remold your minds from within." Now those denominations or sects. Repeatedly, Fox, as minister, is
who know mewillalso knowmy failings and inconsisten- pleased to report his success in bringing errant Friends
cies and will smile at my aiming at metanoia, literally a safely back "in" again.
"turn about." I must accept the skepticism as deserved. I wonder how a modern-day equivalent of Fox would
How did my faitharise? It isnot enough to say, "God's rate the status of American meetings. Which ones would
hiddenwhisperinthehiddenheart." Italsohas anearthly be "out" and which ones would be "in?" An idle and
spring. I think of Douglas Steere speaking so long ago at unprofitablespeculation,nodoubt! Buttoanyonewhohas
Gwynedd Meeting (my original meeting) ofhis gratitude only a mental picture of George Fox disrupting the peace
to Martin Buber's I and Thou. I must add Buber's Two of England and languishing in its jails, I recommend
Types ofFaith, in which he contrasts faith as an assent to a strongly the reading of the American memoirs in his
proposition with faith as unconditional or ultimate trust. journal.
So I am on a pilgrimage of faith, the faith that has a
This article was reprintedfrom the Cache Valley Quaker, (The
destination.Itisalsoatestingground.ThisisBunyan'sstory.
His character the pilgrim leaves the old world doomed to NewsletterofLogan Friends Meeting) November 1994.
destructionandsetsoutforawickergateandashininglight. The Journal of George Fox was edited by John L. Nickalls
On his way he is tested by encounters with Mr. Worldly and published by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the
Wiseman, Vanity Fair, the Muckraker, and the Slough of Religious Society of Friends with permission of London
Despond. It is a long progress and a long test, as is ours. Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, 1985.
A final word about faith. One of the few references to
faith in the Old Testament is in Habakkuk (2:4) "the just
shall live by faith." Faith is what we live by.
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.