Friends Bulletin-Pacific, North Pacific, and Intermountain Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends-June 1991

16 Pages·1991·1.7 MB·English

Friends Bulletin
PACIFIC, NORTH PACIFIC AND INTERMOUNTAIN YEARLY MEETINGS
OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Volume 59, Number 9 June 1991
MainHall, Western Montana College, Dillon, Montana
Call to North Pacific Yearly Meeting 1991
“FaithinAction:InSpiritandInTruth,”thethemeofthe 1991 annualsessionofNorthPacificYearly
Meeting, captures the essence of the great continuing experiment which is Quakerism, to which we
trustinglyturnforthegrowinganddeepeningofspirituallifeandthetranslationofourbeliefsintoaction.
Friends and attenders will gatherJuly 25 - 28 atWestern Montana State College, located at Dillon in
southwesternMontana. OurFriendinResidenceistobeSimeonShitemiofNairobi,Kenya,anAfrican
FriendwhochairstheFriendsWorldCommitteeforConsultation,which thissummerwillholdtheFifth
World Conference ofFriends in Honduras, Kenya and the Netherlands. Our growing Yearly Meeting
whichhasnotmetbeforenowintheeasternreachesofourarea,welcomesallwhowishtocometoworship
Godandenjoyfellowshipwith us inbeautiful Montana.
John A. Sullivan, Presiding Clerk
—
PAGE 154 JUNE 1991 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Editorial onlyby myownblindness.” Here isan invita-
tion togo deeperinworship, sowe mayact in
theworldand inourrelationships to increase
A FriendAddresses the Issues ofQender harmony, genderjustice andpeace.
Justice andHarmony InWendell Berry’spoem, “Marriage,”he
speaks to thecomplexitiesandparadoxesof
Steve Smith, Clerk ofClaremont Meeting relationship and itspotentialforhealing, ashe
and teacherofphilosophyatMcKenna College, concludes:
hasforseveral yearsnow beenengaging Friends ... I turn againstyou,
ina process ofdiscerninghowweare involved in I breakfromyou, I turn toyou.
We
thewarofthe sexes, though we haveapeace hurt, andarehurt,
testimony. His isaclearexperiential, sensitive andhave eachotherforhealing.
appraisal, asyou mayread in this issue. But it is Itishealing. It isneverwhole.1
Shirley Ruth
more than that: iteventuates inproposalsfor
breaking through perceivedbarriers and initial 1. Wendell Berry, Collected Poems, (North Point
inghealingprocesses. Stevepointsways Press, SanFrancisco, 1985), p. 71.
through ourexistential dilemmas inpainful
genderrelationships. His ministry isboth — Cover:
pragmatic andprophetic, personal andsocial
Original ink drawing by Ceilon
“Oureffectiveness dependsuponhowfullywe
... ©
have relinquishedouregocentricagendas, how Hall, 1990, all rights re-
deeplywehave submitted toourown inward- served.
ness.”
At Pacific YearlyMeeting lastAugustSteve
facilitatedaworkshop on“HealingGender
Hurt.” That there isafeltneedfor this (anda Healing Arts
readiness, I believe) wasapparentby the Photographicreproductionsofoilpaintingsfrom
overflowcrowdofFriends in attendanceandby artistCarolynWilhelm'sThe SoldierSeries exhibition
the heart-felt dialogueandlisteningwhich we are included inthis issueonpages 157 and 159.
experienced ingroupsofthree. Participation in Carolyn is amemberofMultnomahMeeting,
thisworkshop becameanenablingexperience Portland, OR. Theseries developedfromher
for me, personally, in initiatinghealingcommu- encounterwithasculpture, "TheMassacreofthe
nication in myownfamilyfollowing PYM. Innocents." Theseries is astudyofthehuman
It iswith a recognition that divinegrace is at dilemmasofviolence, forgiveness andredemption. Its
work among us that I takejoy inpublishing artistic themes echothose ofSteveSmith'scall to
healgenderhurt.
Steve Smith’sconcernsfor unitingour testimo-
nies onpeaceandgenderequality through Onpage 157wereproduce adetailfrom the left-
hand panelofadiptychentitledQuiTollis (Who
healingourgenderhurt.
TakethAway); onpage 159,Sucipe (Receive).
Steveremindsusofourgreat sadness at Friends Bulletin isprivileged tobringtogether the
separationsand our need tolove. Reconcili- artsofCarolynWilhelmandSteveSmith, eachgifted
ation is thework ofour lives aspeacemakers. healers.
“Though oftensubtle, the truth aboutgender
healing is not remote, butcloseathand, hidden
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN JUNE 1991 PAGE 155
FRIENDSBULLETIN
Table of Contents
(USPS859-220)
622-47thAve., SanFrancisco,CA94121
Telephone: [phone]
ShirleyRuth,Editor Editorial 154
BookReviewEditor
SondaBeal,814StannageAve.,Berkeley,CA94706
CorrespondingEditors Healing GenderHurt
ConstanceBrown,NPYM,3O54R019-734R24owRiverRd.,CottageGrove, by Steve Smith 156
JimRay,IMYM,S.IvanhoePI.,Denver,CO80222
MarieClark,IMYM,6511W.Alice#98,Glendale,AZ85302 The George Fox Conference
MarieGodfrey,IMYM,523ValleyViewDr.,Richfield,UT84701
JeanRoath,IMYM,1018RockyRd.,Socorro,NM87801 byElsa Glines 161
TheofficialorganofnewsandopinionofPacific,NorthPacificand Friends for 300 Words
IntermountainYearlyMeetingsoftheReligiousSocietyofFriends.
byJoseph Havens 161
SecondclasspostagepaidatSanFrancisco,California.
PUBLISHED monthlyexceptFebruaryandAugustat622-47th Forum 162
Avenue.,SanFrancisco,CA94121. Allcorrespondence, editorial
andsubscription,shouldbedirectedtothisSanFranciscoaddress.
Deadlineforcopyisthefirstofthemonthprecedingmonthofissue. Letters 163
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beyondsubscriptionpricearewelcomedtohelpmeetactualcosts. Book Review
Allcontributionsaretaxdeductible;receiptssentuponrequest. by Bruce Folsom 163
PACIFICYEARLYMEETINGOFFICERS
PresidingClerk:JanePeers, 808MelbaRd.,Encinitas,CA92024 New Mexico Quarterly MeetingNews
AssistantClerk: JaneMills, 7899St.HelenaRd.,SantaRosa,CA
95404 by Phyllis Hoge Thompson 164
Treasurers: VirginiaandWalterKlein,4509PavlovAve.,
SanDiego,CA92122 Quaker U.N. Interns Expand
QUNO
NORTHPACIFICYEARLYMEETINGOFFICERS Skills
PresidingClerk:WJoAhnSullivan, 19401 - 131stAve.SW,Vashon, by Clare Galbraith 165
98070
SteeringCommitteeClerk: CarolGiantonio, 1520Tyler#5,
Eugene,OR97402 Memorial Minute 166
Treasurer: NormanPasche,6715OlympicDr.,Everett,WA98203
Vital Statistics 167
INTERMOUNTAINYEARLYMEETINGOFFICERS
PresidingClerk: LaDonnaWallen,525E.Alameda,Tempe,AZ
85282 Advertisements 167
ContinuingCommitteeClerk: TomCarr, 1523E.ChiltonDr.,
Treasurers: AnnetteGreenberTge&mpeCy,nAthZia85S2m8i3th,453E.Center AppointmentofNew Friends
St.,Moab,UT84532 Bulletin Editor Back Cover
3 Yearly Meeting Dates Back Cover
PrintedbyInkworicsPress,Berkeley,CA
—
PAGE 156 JUNE 1991 FRIENDS BULLETIN
Healing Gender Hurt seemmerely to addfuelto thefire.
1
Responses to thisongoingconflictvarywidely.
bySteveSmith ClaremontMeeting Aftertwodecades ofheightenedskirmishes inwhich
,
the voicesofwomenwereraised topublicconscious-
Myoverallimpression ... is thattheSocietyof ness,wehaveentereda timeofrelativestasis and
Friends is verballybutnotviscerallycommittedto reaction. Someseektoretreatfrom theconflict
makinggenderequalityareality. Wegive itlip entirely. Othersfindsolice intradinghorrorstories
service, butwearestillnotdeeplycommittedto withlike-mindedcompatriots, sharingfrustrationat
makingchanges. — the inertiaofthosewhoare advantagedby the
MargaretHope Bacon2 prevailingstructuresofpower, andwhopay lip service
toequalitywhiledemonstratingindifference by their
Doweavoidbeingdrawnintoviolentreactions actions. Stillothersfeelbruisedby toomany
againstthosewhoaredestructiveofhuman accusationsofcomplicity;painfulcriticismhas
dignity? Dowereachouttotheviolatoras wellas overloaded theircapacity toadapt. Feelingunappre-
theviolatedwithcouragea—ndlove? ciated intheirgoodfaithefforts tosupportchange,
Query onEquality3 theysee intheiraccusers anideologicalhardeningof
the arteries; persons inwhompolitical agendashave
I seemingly eclipsedcompassion.
Thewarofthesexes is alive andflourishingwithin Unlesswhollypolarized,eachofuscanseesome
the SocietyofFriends. Despite thehistoricQuaker truth ineachofthesedescriptions atvarious times
role inpromotinggenderequality, Friendscarryno and places;yetweoftenfindourselvescaught in the
special innoculationagainstgenderconflict; indeed, cross-fire, perhapsevencontributing to theconflict.
in thisas inotherrespects, Friendsoftenfind Exceedingourownlimitsoftolerance, inrising
themselves tobe amicrocosmofthe largersociety. In disgustand angerwedeclare anotherpartybeyondthe
arecent issueofFriends Bulletin, DanielSeegernotes pale, simplifyingourconsciousness bynamingan
thatasFriends attempttodealwithvariousdivisive externalenemy. Assuming amantle ofrighteousness,
challenges, “difficulties aremultiplying, andaquality wepresume nobilityevenaswe indulge inrecrimina-
ofedginess iscoming tocharacterizemuchofour tion.
discourse.”4 Weneedonly toreflectuponourown Polarizationandconflictare augmentedby the
experiences tohighlightthe problem: misconceptionthatonlywomen aredisadvantagedby
presentconventionsofgender; that inpromoting
• WithinFriends’groups thatweknow,what genderjustice,womenhaveeverythingtogain and
is thequalityofdialogueon issuesofgender? meneverythingtolose. This misconception invites
• Dowehave unityonthe issueofinclusive anunhelpfuldynamicofgrudgingmaleconcessions to
language? self-righteousfemalecritics,whileobscuringmen’s
• Howare thosewhochampion therights enormouswoundingby theculture, as theystruggle
and grievancesofwomenviewedbyothers? withsocietal expectationsofmasculinity.
• Isdialogueongenderfreeofscapegoating, Inthis ongoingpainfuldebate, Friendssometimes
shaming and generalizedblame? losesightofanotherhistoric Quakertestimony, that
ofpeace andconflictresolution. Thus theunitingof
—
ManyFriends' groups arecurrentlypreoccupied these twogreatQ—uaker testimonies peace and
withissuesofsame-sexrelationships andmarriage;yet genderequality is the taskbeforeus. As inother
the larger issuesofgenderjustice andharmonyoften efforts atpeacemaking, peace mustbe—based upon
remainunresolved. Regardlessofsexualorientation, genuinejustice. Women’soppression their
womenand menwithin theSocietyofFriends exclusionfrompolitical andeconomicroles, their
continue tostrugglewithissuesofgenderpeace and deprivation andpoverty, theirvictimizationat the
justice. Alltoooften, ourefforts toease theconflict handsofviolentmen, the appallingfactsofsexual
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN JUNE 1991 PAGE 157
that there isspace foreachpersontospeakwithhis
orherowntruevoice5
.
II
TothisworkI bringnospecialwisdom. Ihope
only tobe myself, engaginginhonestdialoguewith
others, trustingthataswe yield toservicefrom the
deepest—integritywecandiscern, allmayseemore
clearly andfindourway toahealingoftheheart.
I write notas adisembodiedmind, pretending
impartialobjectivity. Rather, Iwrite as a man,
embodied ina male body: asexualbeing,with a
certainhistory, formed inaparticular time and place,
writingfroma particularperspective. Iwrite as a
philosopherwithaspiritual and psychologicalbent,
seekingtocomprehend the hiddendimensionsofmy
experience initsbroadestpossiblecontext.
Iwrite alsoas acasualty in thewarofthesexes.
Fromfemales Ihavesustainedmanyofmydeepest
and mostlingeringwounds, incurred throughmutual
ignorance, mistrustandcruelty. Withfemales I have
oftenfeltpowerless, humiliated, cuttothequick,
stifled, unvalued. Ihave vented myownhurt and
angerinwaysmorewounding than I know. With
womenIhave alsofeltthegreatestsjoysofmy life.
And I write as aQuaker, shapedfromchildhood
inQuakerbeliefs and practices, awe—d atanearly age
Qui Tollis (WhoTakethAway) © 1989 byQuaker—spirituality, atoddswith andoftenin
denialof myownimpulses towardviolence,
abuse, theentrenchedmale bi—as invirtuallyallrealms abhorring the violence ofothers, committed to
ofpublicdiscourse, andsoon mustbeconstruc- healing. I looktoQuakerismforresources inhealing
tivelyaddressedbeforeonecanspeakwithintegrityof genderhurt. As aQuaker I aspire tospeakfrom
peace andharmony b—etweenthe sexes. Likewise, the personalexperience, from“what I knowexperimen-
costofthe malerole indecreased longevity,stress- tally.” Thoughoftensubtle, the truthaboutgender
related disease, elevatedsuiciderates, diminished healing is notremote, butclose athand,hiddenonly
capacityfor intimacyandaffiliation, the burdensof bymyownblindness. I andothers know it inour—
assuming the active and—responsible role, and other bones, andcanfind itexemplified inliveswesee
“hazardsofbeingmale” mustbe acknowledgedand and indeed, inourown lives.
addressed, before peacemakingeffortscanhope to be Withthe dawningofmymasculineconsciousness
effective. as asmall boycame an unmistakable awareness that
Quakeractivism isnotpartisanempowerment sexmade aprofounddifference. Iwasdifferentfrom
(onegroupgainingat theexpenseofanother) buta my threesisters, mymother, mymaidenauntand
mutual, inclusiveempowerment. Inthiswork, grandmother, allofwhomcreated the prevailing
perhaps the most important ingredient is listening: culturewithinourhome. Thedifferences I noticed,
notmerely the partial listen—ingofonewho isalready rooted inmybody and theconsequentrole Iwas
formulat—ing arejoinder, but inthespiritofQuaker expected tofill,were thoseofpower, oflabor, andof
worship listeningwithanopenheartandmind,so
(Continued,onpage 158)
—
PAGE 158 JUNE 1991 FRIENDS BULLETIN
(HealingQender Hurt: continuedfrompage 157) hierarchiesofauthority, distributionofeconomic
degreeofisolation. goods, military and policeforces, and ultimately the
Inadistantway I knew thatmenruled theworld. threatofdestruction. Publicpowerwas thecoinof
Monarchs, presidents, membersofCongress, industry masculine dominance, exercisedoftenforill. I did
alists, financiers, prominentfiguresofpublic lifewere notreflectonalternatemodesofpower: poweras
nearlyall male. Inmyownhome, myfatherseemed efficacy,powerasvitality, powerasjoyfulconnected-
tomake thefinaldecision inmajormatters affecting ness, power inaesthetic, emotionalandspiritual
thefamily. The workofmenseemed bothoftrans- dimensions. Had I been able toawakento the
cendent importance and more laborious. Women’s realitiesofmypersonalexperience, I mighthave
workwassupportive, connective, maintaining the resolved the apparentparadox thatas amale, a
fabricofhome and community; men’sworkproduced memberofthe supposedly morepower—fulsex, I felt
the bulkofoureconomicwell-bei—ng. While my powerless throughoutmostofmy life notonly
sistersworkedclose tothehouse washingdishesor aroundothermales, butaroundfemales aswell. I
clothes, canningvegetables, cleaninghouse orsewing, explained thatparadox by myyouthfulness, andbymy
I trudged to the barnorfield tomanhandle balesof differences as aQuaker. I didnotsee thatmany
hay, bushelsofcorn, heavymachinery, andacresof males, even iftheyrise topositionsofeconomicand
mud andmanure. Inwinter, thecontrastgrewstark: political influence, fail tofind intheirpublicpower
the warm, bright interiorofthe farmhousewas an themeans tosatisfy theirprivate needs. Had I
islandofcomfortandcheer inthedarkandunforgiv- —enumerated tomyselfthe basichumanrequirements
ingenvironsofthefrozenbarnyard andbeyond. forphysiologicalneccessities, forsafety, forbelong-
Withinthe house was aconstantchatterofactivity, ingness and lo—ve, foresteem, forpersonalself-
floodsofwords, servingas thefluidofcommerce. actualization7 I mighthave beguntosee thatfor all
Outsideonthe land, I moved insilence behind my ofthevaunted publicpower, manymendemonstrate
taciturnfather, ormoreoftenworked by myself, in their lives a dramaticandobjectivelyquantifiable
engaging insome repetitive task, alonewithmy lackofcontroloverthegoods thatare essential to
thoughts. Summertimebroughthayingcrews: theirlives andhealth. The masculineethicof
jocular, warmmenwhose friendlybanterandhard independence and invulnerable self-sufficiency
sweat laborseemedworlds apart from the apparently prevents many menfromacknowledgingthedepthof
effortless intimacy andactivityofthe femaleworld theirneedforothers. Yetcostsnotexplicitly
within thehome. acknowledge—d in awareness maystillbedarklyknown
Atschool I learnedofotherdifferences. My inthe body innumbness and inemotionalpain, in
earnestQuakerparentsforbade me tofight,evenin illhealth, inalienationofaffection and the threatof
self-defense. I dutifullycomplied. As aresult, every violence.
bully inschool learned thathe couldattackmewith
impunity. Ispentmuchofmyrecess timeeither Ill
whuamridliinagtiofofnbwliotwhstohrefyloeeuinnggefrrcohmiltdhreemn,, ptroehtiednedionugtin Idonotaskofwomenthat theycease tocall
attentiontotheiroppressionandsufferingaswomen.
mthaalteIIwianshadboiitnegdaasfIarremaollryewiphsyhseidc.alIlyledaarnngeedrothuastas a NsiolrentdoreIgaasrkdionfgmoyusrelsfufafenrdinogt.heEramchenshtohualtdwbeerheemaaridn
world thandid mysisters. Forthem, safetyandwell-
and responded to. Neithershould be used todiscount
beingcame fromcommunity, frombeingwithothers;
forme, safety came only insolitude.6 Atsuch times, mthoereotdhearm;agnionrg,ismitofrreuitufnuflaitrooarrguunejuwsht.ichisgreater,
rIecloiuelvdedboefgitnhetoferaerfloefctmuypvounlnwehraabtilIisthyaarneddidnifference, witWhihnawthiiscnheeedaecdhsisufafefrrianmgevwooircekomfauynbdeerhsetaarndd,inagnd
commonwithmy fellowhumanbeings. eachdamaged persontakenup intohealing. Whatis
powBelrinedxecldusbiyvetlhyewdiotmhintahentpucbullitcurree,aIlma.ssoItciiantveodlved ntoeehdeeadroisnaenaennotlhaerrg’esmpeanitn,oftocosmtpeapsosuitono,ftahweilclyicnlgenoefss
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN JUNE 1991 PAGE 159
possiblecures8 The most
.
successfulorganization for
dealingwithalcoholism is
composed ofrecovering
alcoholics. Brilliantacadem-
icsmaybe poorteachers
because theydonotappreci-
ate thedifficultiesofthose
who learnmoreslowly than
themselves. Through
inwardnessopenedbyeffort
and suffering, one may come
to knowone’s connectedness
withotherbeings. Thus the
occasionofsufferingoffers a
criticalchoice: wemayrecoil
intoaconstricted self,
alienated fromanexternal
other; orwe mayexpand
throughsuffering intogreater
Sucipe (Receive) © 1989 compassion.
recrimination, defensiveness andcounterattack. InQuakerperspective, suchopening is thewayof
CentraltoQuakerbeliefand practice fromthe truecommunion. Seeing thedivinepresence in
beginninghas been the insightthatopposition and another,wemusthumble ourselvesbefore it,
strife arise fromseparationfrom the Spirit, and that in acknowledgingour imperfections asourown. Bereft
openingfully toourowndepths,weopentothe ofthefalsehavenofideology,we mustapproach
realityofourunitywithone another. O—ncewehave others intheir immediate, concrete particularity, and
come toknoworbeliev—e inthatunity theoneness marvelatthe beautywithin. Fromthis moralvision
ofall persons inSpirit wecannolongerdefine of“aspirit thatdelights todonoevil,”we are
others asenemies tobeovercome; we must instead emboldened to address injustice notas adversarial
regard them as precious andsacred in theirownright, “Christiansoldiers,”marchingagainst the enemy,but
atthedeepest level inharmonywithourselves. fromwithinthis lifewe all lead, transformingour-
Effectivesocialchange becomes amatternotof selvesand one another throughasharing inthe
outwittingorsuppressingoutward resistance, but Spirit. At itsbest, Quakerservice isjoyfulsubversion,
ratherofappealingtothe“hiddenunity oftheEternal makingcommoncause withallcreation. No longera
Being,” thatofGod ineveryperson. Oureffective' grimandearnestaffair, revolution becomescelebra-
ness insuchanappealdependsuponhowfullywe tion, anactofplay. The luminosityofeachcornerof
haverelinquished ouregocentricagendas, howdeeply creationshinesforth, inspiring moral action. From
wehave submitted toourown inwardness. Deep suchavantage point, itbecomes impossible topoint
meditationandworship, “waitinguponGod,” is the anaccusingfingerofblame. Thegiftsofeachare
practicalbasisfor all truly effectivesocial action. beforeoureyes, the mag—nificentcontributionsof
Aswedothiswork,we mayfind thatourpain is a womenand men alike always there forus tosee, if
sourceofwisdom. Inourwounds liesourstrength, we are butwilling.
and themeasuresofour travailaresimultaneously Quakerpeacemaking inthewarofth—e sexes thus
indicesofhope. IntheRepublic, Platoobserves that it manifests bothclarityofmoral purpose for
is betterforaphysiciantohave ahistoryofillness, in example, bywitnessing in action the injusticeof
orderto understand diseasedconditions and their (Continuedonpage 160)
—
PAGE 160 JUNE 1991 FRIENDS BULLETIN
(Healing Qender Hurt: continuedfrompage 159) deepneed to love. Forasyouneed to loveus,we also
variousformsofsexiststere—otyping,ortothe need toloveyou.
wrongnessofspousal abuse while reachingoutand Forall, Icarry thishope: thatwe learntocare
holdingup thoseengaged inthewrongdoing. It throughourpain; thatwe findwithinourselves the
eschews righteous superiority, recognizingthat all courage toyield tremulously to thepossibilityof
individuals, bothmenandwomen, are complicitin intimacy, and the promiseoflove. Asweexplore
varyingdegrees inm—aintainingaculturalsystem that within, claiming thedarkerfearfulreachesofour
causesgenderhurt and thatgenuinehealingof selves, trustingincreasinglyto the“hiddenunity in
thathurtcomes through touching into and acting the Eternal Being,”maywe discoveraneasingof
fromthe“hiddenunity in the Eternal Being,”for hardness, asofteningofedges, anopening intomoist
whichno individualselfmay takecreditorclaim asits playfulness and thepossibilityoflove. Asbeauty
own. insinuates into ideology, stealingawayoursharpness
beforewe are aware, mayweemerge fromanimposed
IV and anxiousflatness into infinitelyyielding, immeas-
Formyselfandmybrothers, I carry thishope: that urabledepth.—Maywesee andhearone anotheras
wemayopenourselves tothe pervasive,oftenbrutal neverbefore and therebyknowourselvesforthe
realitiesofwomen’soppression, and takesteps to firsttime. Menlovingwomen lovingmenloving
correctit. Whenwomenrage againstus;whenthey women,womenlovingwomen, men lovingmen:
insistupontheirpreogatives atthemostinopportune healinggenderhurtcallsus toourdeepestselves, and
times;whentheydraw backinhostilitybecauseof prompts us toapproachone anotherwithactsof
centuriesofinjustice andabuse, stillrepeated today; reconciliation, ofmutualhealingand love, sharing
whenthe knowledgeoftheirsuffering is at lasttoo togethertheworkofjustice inaspiritofjoy.
much, producingarevoltoftheflesh; maywe beware
ofdemanding that they bemorecompassionate, Notes
rememberingthat“woman’splace”hasbeento be 1. Thispaper is arevision andcondensationoftwo
compassionate andempathetic; thatthecallfor manuscripts: “HealingGenderHurt: Quaker
compassionmaybe a disguiseddemand thatwomen Peacemaking IntheWaroftheSexes,”delivered at
“keep theirplace,”su—bordinate tomen. Compassion the Friends AssociationforHigher Education(FAHE)
mustbeginathome withourselves. Maywe also atSwarthmore Collegeon 25June 1989, and
realize thatbeneathwomen’sfurymaybe adeeper reprintedin the Proceedings oftheTenthAnnual
hurt: adesperationthat theycannot loveus as they Conference; and “HealingGenderHurt II,” read at
wouldwanttolove, agreatsadness at theirseparation EarlhamCollege on26October 1989.
fromus. Foraswe need to love them,we knowalso 2. “TravellingAmongFriends,”FriendsJournal,June
thattheyneed to loveus. 1990, p.10.
Formysisters, Icarry thishope: whenwemen 3. FaithandPracticeofPacificYearlyMeetingofthe
drawbackfromyourprotests, nomatterhowgently Religious SocietyofFriends (PacificYearlyMeeting:
couched; whenwe feign indifference, orbecome SanFrancisco, CA, 1985), p.25.
defensive, orare unwillingto listen;whenwego 4.Friends Bulletin (Vol. 59#1), September 1990, p. 4.
aboutour lives as ifyoudidnotexist, seemingly 5. Foranexcellentdiscussionofthe roleoflistening
secure inourprivilege; I inviteyou toreflectthat inreconciliation, see Gene KnudsenHoffman,
within us is also buriedpain, suppressedby acultural “Listening:The FirstStepTowardReconciliation”
imperative thatdrives us awayfromour inwardness Fellowship,June 1990, pp.13, 28.
toward outwardperformance; thatwhat looks like 6. Differingpatternsofplay in boys andgirls, and
male powertoyoumayfeellike aheavyburdenofre- their implications forpatternsofconnectedness and
sponsibilityanddemand tous; that theensuing care vs. isolationand individualisticautomony, are
A
numbnesshastens us toourgraves, alienated from perceptivelydiscussed inCarolGilligan,In Different
ourselves and fromyou, and mostofall, fromourown Voice: PsychologicalTheoryandWomen’s Development
—
FRIENDS BULLETIN JUNE 1991 PAGE 161
(Cambridge, MA: HarvardUniversityPress, 1982). movementbegan.
See Chapts. One andTwo, esp. pp. 7 - 11. Thepapers read attheconferencesettledsome
7. This listofhumanneeds isdrawnfrom theworkof questionsofseventeenthcenturyhistory butraised
AbrahamMaslow. See A. H. Maslow,Motivation and manymore. Interpretingthe past is asdifficultas
Personality, Second Edition (NewYork: Harperand predicting the future. Dr. Mullettisplanningto
Row, 1954, 1970), pp. 35 - 38. publish theproceedingsoftheconference and that
8. 408f. should produce a marvelous volume, one thatFriends
Comments andfeedbackwelcome. Pleasesend canstudy and mullovermanyhours. Knowledgeof
to SteveSmith, Box 16, Mt. Baldy, CA 91759. the pastmaygive ussome insight intothe present.
Participants from thewesternU.S. included:
The George Fox Paul Anderson,Newberg, OR
CA
ElsaGlines, Hayward,
Commemorative Conference in DougGwyn, Berkeley,CA &Pendle Hill
Lancaster England Edward Fittiggins, Newberg, OR
JackMarietta,Tucson, AZ
byElsa Qlines, Strawberry Creek Meeting
Aconferencecelebrating the300thanniversaryof Friends for 300
thedeathofGeorge Foxwasheld at theUniversityof
LancasterMarch 25-28 thisyear. About 120 people Words
heard talks anddiscussions aboutGeorgeFox’s
spiritual life, his place inPuritanEngland, his position
amongcontemporary Quakers, and manyother topics. Taking an Objective Look at
Therewereseveralplenarysessions, onewhere the Meeting for Business
eminentseventeenthcenturyhistorian, Christo—pher
Hill, discussed thedateofthepeace testimony was byJoseph Havens, Multnomah Meeting
itearlyor late inGeorgeFox’scareer? Anotherin
whichhistorianTatiana PavlovaoftheU.S.S.R. At the timewhen Iwas invitedtobeClerkfor the
compared theexplosionofliterature in the 1600s to Mt. Toby MeetinginWesternMassachusetts, Iwas
thatseeninRussia today. activewith aQuaker-inspiredsocialchangegroup
At lunchtime andatcoffee breaks and inthe called the Movementfor aNewSociety. They tried
college pubintheevening, people argued aboutJames todo theirbusiness inaway thatwas bothexpeditious
Naylor’s preeminence among theearlyQuakers, the and personallyrenewing. To thisend, theyexperi-
importanceofJudgeThomasFell’sprotectionofthe mentedwitha varietyofguidelinesorpractices. One
movement, andsimilarpuzzles ofthe past. ofthesewas anoralevaluationofmeetings, attheir
Theparticipants included historiansandQuakers conclusion. Itconsisted ofresponses to three
fromEngland and Americawith afew individuals questions:
fromIreland, Wales, New Zealand and Canada. The 1) Whatdid you like about the meeting?
conferencewas arranged by Dr. Michael Mullett, 2) Whatdoyou thinkcould be improved?
senior lecturerofthe HistoryDepartmentofthe 3) Howcanwedoitbetternext time?
UniversityofLancaster. Itwas arichandexciting One ofthe interesting things thathappenedwhen
gathering. we instituted anevaluationwas thatYoung Friends,
One afternoonwas devoted toexcursions, one to whorarely participated indiscussion, tookpartin
Swarthmore Hall, thehomeofMargaretFell, the evaluation. I should add thatsomeofourQuakers
“motherofQuakerism,” and anothertoearlymeeting objected todoingtheevaluation as apartofthe
houses inthatpartofEnglandwhere theQuaker
(Continuedonpage 162)
) ,
—
PAGE 162 JUNE 1991 FRIENDS BULLETIN
(Friendsfor300Words: continuedfrompage 161 say, atleastas astart, thatas abody,we are
officialbusiness,soweheld itafter theMeetingwas committedto thesearchfora lifestyleof
closed. increasedsimplicity anddecreasedenergy
DoFriendsotherthanTeresinaand I feelwenee—d consumption, apaththatwould leadulti-
to take anobjective lookatourMonthlyMeetings mately toanequalandsustainablesharingof
perhaps throughsomesuchmechanism asdescribed? theearth’sresources. This is anecessaryfirst
I ammuch takenwithourbravephrases, “Meeting —step toward lastingpeace.”
forWorshipforBusiness.” I agree totallywithit. But fromastatementoftheSantaCruz
dowe notneedsomeworkaroundsuchquestions as ReligiousSocietyofFriends, 1/27/91
these: Inordertoput the abovewords intoaction, afew
1) Dowe leaveourMeetingsrefreshed and Friends and Ihave agreednot touseourcarsonat
centered by theexperience? leastonedayofeachweek. Wewillalsoavoid
2) Doesourwayofdoing businessmake thebest excessiveuseofallformsofenergyatalltimes aswe
useofthegathered energy, goodwill, andwisdom worktoward agoalofminimalenergyuse. This
ofthe businessmeetingattenders? (Occasion- yearningtolearnto livewithless isbasednotonlyon
ally, inthe interestof“fullerutilization,”we the needtocallattention tothewaste thatconsti-
sometimes tooktime tobreakup inpairsorsmall tutes amajorcauseofwar, butalsoto thehumanand
groups towork throughpersonalreactions and environmentaldamage toourplanetforgenerations
proposalsregardingthe issue athand.) tocome.
3) Towhatextentdoallofus atMeeting, not Anadditionalreasonforsome ofus is agrowing
just theClerk, take responsibilityforhow things needforaSabbath, aquietdaywithoutmachines. As
aremoving? I am thinkingofbeingawareof Wendell Berrysays, “Tocome intothewoods,you
time andamountofbusiness, ofhelping the mustleave behind thesix-days’world, allofit, allof
Clerkwiththe process around the“senseofthe its plans andhopes. Youmustcomewithoutweapon
meeting,”ofaskingforworship, orpossiblyfora ortool, alone, expectingnothing, remembering
break, etc. nothing, into theeaseofsight, the brotherhoodofeye
PerhapssomeYearlyMeetingquerieswouldbe and leaf.”
helpfulhere. Wewelcome allwhowilljoinus inourenergyfast.
Icheckedout these ideaswith theWatsons,when Sincerely,
theywerehere. Itturnsout thatGeorge is agreat MaggieReynolds, Santa CruzMeeting
supporteroftheMovementforaNewSocietyprocess
andhesawnoproblemwithMeetings adaptingsome Why I Pay Taxes
ofthesegroupprocess ideas into theirfunctioning.
I am interested infurtherdialogueabout these to tIelhlamvaenbyeepneorpelmeiswshiynIt,haespaasQtuabekcearuspaeciIfhisatv,epafayiled
matters. taxeswhichmygovernmentuses towagewar. I doso
[ExcerptedfromMultnomah Meeting's Newsletter ingoodconscience. I pay thembecause I’macitizen
May 1991.] oftheUnitedStates,whichremains ademocracy,
despite trends to thecontrary. TheConstitutionstill
mandatesfreedomofspeech, press, and assembly. In
short,we are free toorganize politically toachieveour
goals. I believe thatthissituationrequires me to use
Proposing an Energy Fast legalmeanswhen it’s at allpossible. The advantage
ofthis thinkingis thatitinvolves me morewith
“Ifourelected leaderswillnotaddress the communicatingwithpeoplewhodisagree, andwhom
attendantmoralchoices aboutwar, about I need toconvince. I see thepeace movement as too
resources, aboutjustice andequality, ingood isolated and insular. Wespend toomuchtime talking
conscience, itmustfall toeachofus. Wemust