Quaker Thought and Today
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February 1999 Quaker Thought FRIENDS and Life OURNAL Today . An Among Friends Independent magazine serving the Religious New Beginnings Society of early 17Y2 years ago I left my position as editor and business manager here at Friends the journal in order to devote myself to the care of my daughter, whose birth was imminent. Susanna appeared-a ten-pound, one-ounce, energetic baby Editorial N Vinton Deming (Editor-Manager), Kenneth Sutton girl-and I was launched upon a new undertaking: providing love, care, and guidance (Senior Editor), Claudia Wair (Assistant Editor), for my offspring. It was a source ofdeep joy for me to be able to devote myself to this Judith Brown (Poetry Editor) until my husband, Adam, and I took up our responsibilities as codirectors of Powell Production Barbara Benton (Art Director), Alia Podolsky House, the retreat and conference center ofNew York Yearly Meeting. (Production Assistant), John D. Gummere Now, these many years later, quite a few new experiences are behind me, and my (Special Projects) daughter has grown into a five-foot, eleven-inch, energetic young woman, poised in Circulation and Advertising Nagendran Gulendran (Marketing and Advertising her senior year of high school to launch herself into her adult independent life. When Manager), Nicole Hackel (Circulation Assistant} I regard her, I often find myself astonished at what has transpired, in her and in me, Administration during this time. And I am deeply appreciative of what has remained constant. As Marianne De Lange (Office Manager), Rachel Messenger (Accountant}, Henry Freeman Susanna has been growing and thriving, evolving into an assertive and thoughtful (Devehpment Comultant), Pamela Nelson young adult, so too has the journal thrived and grown under the outstanding (Devehpment Assistant), Ruth Peterson, Roben Sunon (Volunteen) leadership of Olcutt Sanders and Vint Deming. I return to find wonderful changes Board of Managers a new location in a beautiful space on Arch Street in Philadelphia, new staff and Irwin Abrams, Lucinda Antrim, Paul Buckley, staffing patterns, and some changes in the content of the magazine as well. But that TylaAnn Burger, Susan Carnahan (Recording Clerk), Sue Carnell (Treasurer), Linda Coffin, which is essential remains much the same-a strong and active Board of Managers to Marsha Green, Dan Hewitt, Ingrid Holcomb, provide counsel and wise guidance, devoted staff who feel called to their work, Mary Mangelsdorf, Barbara Mays, Judith Monroe, Caroline Balderston Parry, Ruth Peterson, remarkable readers whose contributions are the lifeblood of the entire undertaking, Lisa Lewis Raymer, Ted Robinson, and above all, faith and trust in the Spirit that informs the sharing and the work of the David Runkel (Assistant Clerk), Larry D. Spears, Carolyn Sprogell (Clerk), Wilmer Tjossem journal. FRIENDS JouRNAL (ISSN 0016-1322) was I am deeply honored to be asked to assume the responsibilities of editor-manager established in 1955 as the successor to The Friend of this magazine. I look forward to the challenge and the inspiration of the work that (1827-1955) and Friends lntelligencer (1844-1955). lies before us, and I anticipate with great pleasure the opportunities I will have to greet • FRIENDS jOURNAL is published monthly by Friends Publishing Corporation, 1216 Arch Street, 2A, old friends and to make the acquaintance of many of you whom I have not yet Philadelphia, PA 19107-2835. Telephone (2 15) known, through your writing or in person at Friends meetings and gatherings. When 563-8629. E-mail Friends][email protected]. Periodicals postage paid at Philadelphia, Pa., and additional I left the journal in the spring of 1981, I felt that my four years here had completed a mailing offices. circle, my last issue linking to my first in ways that spoke to my condition at that • Subscriptions: one year $29, rwo years $54. Add time. Today I find myself, as my daughter does, on the brink of wonderful new $6 per year for postage to countries ourside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Individual copies $3 beginnings. Much has grown, developed, and deepened for all of us during the each. intervening years. • Advenising information and assistance is available on request. Appearance of any advenisement does So let us begin, then, with cheerful hearts and thankfulness for the challenge and nor imply endorsement by FRIENDS jOURNAL. privilege we have been given-to seek and discern the guidance of the Spirit here • Postmaster: send address changes to FRIENDS during the advent of the 21st century. For me, it will be a great joy to share this JouRNAL, 1216 Arch Street, 2A, Philadelphia, PA 19 107-2835. undertaking with you. • Copyright © 1999 by Friends Publishing Corporation. Permission should be received before reprinting excerpts longer than 200 words. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. PRJNTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Moving? Let us update your subscription and address. FruENDS JouRNAL, 1216 Arch St., 2A Philadelphia, PA 19107-2835 Next month in Friends Journal: (215) 563-8629, Fax (215) 568-1377 The Personal, the Political, and the Spiritual: Friends on Feminism E-mail FriendsJ [email protected] James Turrell: Spirit and Light Letter to a Judge 2 February 1999 FRIENDS]OURNAL February 1999 FRIENDS Volume 45, No. 2 JOURNAL Features Departments 6 Roads of Life and Death 2 Among Friends Pam Barratt Bolivian Friends' lives are in stark contrast to those of U.S. and 4 Forum British Friends. 5 Viewpoint 8 Truth at Home for Peace Abroad 21 Witness Malcolm Bell The United States should learn from Bishop Gerardi ofGuatemala. 23 Ufe in the Meeting 11 What Do We Know By How We Uve? 24 Reports and Epistles John Woolman and the Ecological Vision 28 News Keith Helmuth "Pure Wisdom" is holistic, making connections between our lives 29 Bulletin Board and our world. 30 Books 15 What Quality? 34 Milestones Kirsten Backstrom We cannot know what conditions during illness or decline wiU be 39 Classified endurable or rewarding. 42 Meetings 17 My Brother in Vietnam Patty Lyman Poetry A foster family divided by war and politics is reunited 10 Rev. John Wilson, Pastor Helen Marie Casey 16 Covenant Margie Gaffron Architecture of Miracles Catherine M. Cameron Cover: The women ofPasankeri Quaker Church in La Paz, Bolivia, make blankets for the church. Photo by Ken Barratt FRIENDS j oURNAL February 1999 3 Forum Technology few years, perhaps indefinitely, before trying this one out?" It was most heartening to read "Is Paul Mangelsdorf Technology Our New God?" (F]Nov. Swarthmore, Pa. 1998). My answer is an emphatic Yes. For years my concerns have been the same as the author's: Technology is Fond memories widening the gap between rich and poor, The death notice of Charles Perera polluting and wasting God's creation at an (Milestones, Fj Nov. 1998) brought back alarming pace, alienating us from God and memories of the tercentenary celebrations each other, increasing our stress, and of the Society, held in Kendal, Cumbria, in hurting us physically. It is time Friends August 1952. I have an entry for August looked carefully at what our dependence on 15, "visited castle ruins with Charles technology has done to our integrity as a Perera," but I am not clear which castle, as body that professes simplicity and equality they are not very scarce thereabouts. for all people. My friend who was also there had Yet it is nearly impossible to remove remembered that he was in the medical ourselves from its grip! It is ubiquitous. line, she being a hospital secretary, but not Most of us spend the majority of our days his specific line. I am glad he had such a relying on and benefitting from it. I must rewarding career. I am sure he would use a computer for hours every day in my spread cheerfulness and a spirit of library job. I enjoy the work itself, and the enterprise. service it provides makes me feel useful. But neighborhood errands. I have found the My greetings from afar to his family and I worry a lot about the millions of dollars age of cheap petroleum a very mixed friends. spent and the massive waste involved in the blessing, and I expect it to end in my Alison Douglas upgrading/discarding cycle. (What are we lifetime, so I like to be prepared. But still I Edinburgh, U.K not spending this money for? How much am grateful that a whole generation of my nonbiodegradable waste are we adding daily fellow humans has been able to travel to the landfills?) I am troubled also about better than ancient royalty ever dreamed A request the real human interaction that is often of--even though it can never happen diminished as we add more and more again; it's not sustainable. Like Tolstoy, Which Friends schools offer programs in functions to the amazing "boxes" on our Hosking would have us cultivate the wise English for speakers of other languages? The desks. virtues and self-reliance of the simple only ones I know of in the United States are Chuck Hosking believes "our peasant. That's an anti-urban philosophy, George School and Oakwood School. I technological 'progress' has taken us to the which doesn't offer much comfort to the would appreciate learning of others. top of a cliff." And he reminds us that world's millions living in cities. Of course, David Murphy "when one is at the edge of a precipice it's those millions in cities are mainly there Asogaran, 110, 1tr wise to define progress as one step because public health technology S-116 24 Stockholm, Sweden backwards." This is truly a wake-up call. eradicated bubonic plague and yellow fever Though it is a real and complex struggle to and lowered the infant mortality rate.