I just read a long thread on a Quaker Facebook page, filled with semi-hysterical advice-giving about elaborate steps for paranoid parents/grandparents to take NOW to keep their precious sons out of the iron clutches of the military draft, and smooth their path into the safety of C. O, (Conscientious Objector) status. Threads like this pop … Continue reading A recipe for calming parental panic about the military draft
Hat tip today to Reporter Olivier Knox, whose Daily 202 newsletter for the Washington Post, reminded me that today (November 30) is the birthday of Samuel L. Clemens, aka Mark Twain (born 1835). Knox sent me in search of some Mark Twain quotes, of which there are of course many. Here are a few, relatively … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Mark Twain, You Old Anti-Imperialist!
The eleven authors in the new book, “Passing the Torch” were invited to draw on their several centuries of living and Quaker experience to offer “Advices,” informal counsel for readers. A few made lists. Others wove such insights into their texts. Others left this part of the work implicit. Here are some selections from these … Continue reading Some “Advices” for Quakers & Others from “Passing the Torch”
[In midlife, Diane Faison and her family faced multiple traumas while living in Richmond, Virginia., including the murder of her mother-in-law and family conflict over her estate.] Diane writes, After all this, it was no surprise that my husband said he wanted to leave Richmond. I don’t want the children living in this atmosphere, he … Continue reading “Passing the Torch”, Author Speak #6: Diane Faison Mckinzie
From Marian Rhys, “Life: The Great Balancing Act,” in Passing the Torch Despite [a youthful] service-work connection with Friends, it was not until my early twenties that I became engaged with them on any regular basis. By that time, I had begun to feel the need for some spirituality in my life, and started attending … Continue reading “Passing the Torch,” Author Speak #5: “I stopped trying to talk with Friends about evil . . .”