Comments for Michael's 'Deep Thoughts'

Comment on Reformation Day by LAR_Northman

LAR_Northman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:07:48 +0000

True, but movements tend to center around the person/persons who can most clearly state their ideas, and in fact needed that focus to properly organize.

Comment on The work starts by kseverny

kseverny — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:48:04 +0000

fantastic poem, so thoughtful

Comment on State of emergency by michaeldavidjay

michaeldavidjay — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:44:41 +0000

Add before 1920, healthcare was snake-oil.

Comment on Have you noticed by michaeldavidjay

michaeldavidjay — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:07:23 +0000

Though — what caused my ‘blah’s’ was not the mess — I stayed in bed for 2 days, now I’m coughing stuff up — but, I started doing things again.

Comment on State of emergency by LAR_Northman

LAR_Northman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:19:21 +0000

Well the 1918 flu pandemic shut everything down. The thing is that H1N1 doesn’t seem nearly as bad, but people sill fear the next big pandemic. We haven’t had one in a long time so we seem to be due.

I wonder if the conditions of modern life instead of making epidemics more possible might make them less possible, most people wash their hands and do other basic hygienic actions, people are heather then they have ever been in history, and organizations like the CDC are good at what they do.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but we have a lot going for us to resist diseases.

But no one wants say these things for fear of being labeled a Pollyanna. And of course fear sells, hope not so much.

Comment on Have you noticed by LAR_Northman

LAR_Northman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:50:06 +0000

Sort of a viscus cycle wouldn’t you say?

Comment on Slowness by Lauren

Lauren — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:20:47 +0000

Ah, I love short, tiny poems.

This one gave me a snapshot of sitting at my desk and drudging through my work, slowly, diligently.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by michaeldavidjay

michaeldavidjay — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:54:07 +0000

I was aware that several major early members (especially among “Irish Friends”) were Cromwell’s own men. I recall when reading Sewell’s sufferings, that I ran across those ejected from the Cromwell’s army for being Quakers… I’m not sure if the complaint was that they were discharged, or that they were discharged without pay.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by Will T

Will T — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:39:21 +0000

It is certainly true that the growth of Quakerism was helped by the vacuum caused by the weakening of the Church of England. But the letter to King Charles that is often referred to as the Peace Testimony was a political reaction to the possibility of persecution because of the actions of the Fifth Monarchists. The actual peace testimony was the testimony of their lives. It rose from their being called by Christ to not resist with violence when they were being persecuted. It rose from people like Thomas Lurting who was convinced while serving in the British Navy who, while aiming guns in the midst of battle, hearing a voice saying, “But what if you would kill someone.” and leaving his post at the risk of his own life.

The other factor was not wars that seemed impossible to justify, but the war that had just finished, the English Civil War which had begun with much hope of a new order and a new church and which provided neither and ended up with the radical puritans being thoroughly demoralized and disappointed.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by michaeldavidjay

michaeldavidjay — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:55:09 +0000

I will confess, I did oversimplify — though, I cannot see any Irish Catholic building a statue to the Lord Protector. His Irish campaign is still remembered as genocide (or as much a genocide as was possible in those cruder of days). There was a lot of colonization related to Cromwell — but, yes, there was colonization before.

I personally wonder if the Society of Friends could have formed with a functioning Church of England and without similar Wars in Europe where churches took sides. Somehow, I do not see the Peace testimony appearing without wars that seem impossible to justify.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by Peter

Peter — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:31:55 +0000

Sorry but as an English Friend I cannot agree with the way the English Civil Wars are presented especially as I don’t think that these were continued in Ireland until recently. The Irish issues could be said to date back to Elizabethan times and Cromwell certainly played his part in this but the underlying issues are many – as are those relating to the Civil Wars of the 1640’s. Certainly some of the issues which came about at the time are crucial to the formation of the Society but in many ways to be in the world is to be part of it and I do not see the issue of politics being such an important one amongst UK Friends as it appears to be in the US.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by michaeldavidjay

michaeldavidjay — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:01:53 +0000

I never apologized when ran for a minor office either. There is a difference between personal involvement, and making it a religious duty to support to the Democratic party, and no other (or any other specific Political party). Such a position is putting faith in politics… not in God.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by Hystery

Hystery — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:05:21 +0000

I am cautious about conflating the belief that we control the world with the belief that we can change the world. People with little economic power have still provided strength in numbers and leadership in political movements for reform and revolutionary change. Having seen at the local level what very real harm is caused to very real people when there is no political opposition to candidates with immoral policies that degrade human rights and community well-being, I remain unapologetic in my participation in the political process– I feel I would betray my spiritual beliefs if I were to do otherwise.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by michaeldavidjay

michaeldavidjay — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:10:26 +0000

In this, I would guess that the poor are the sane ones — but I am used to circumstances outside my control.

Comment on Thoughts for the Society of Friends by Will T

Will T — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:54:29 +0000

The problem is not that Friends conform to their local political culture. In this, they reflect who they were when they came to Friends. What is missing is the transformation into new people which was the common experience of early Friends and which Friends today are reluctant to talk about and which they certainly do not expect. In North America, at least, we have much to risk if we are to seek to live in the realm of God, where the last is first and the poor are blessed and the rich are asked to give up what they have.

The real sticking point is that we are asked to give up control of our lives to God and we are steeped in the idea that we can control the world. The poor do not have that illusion.

Will T