Queries–Personal Responsibility

“Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center–a life of unhurried peace and power. It is serene. It takes not time, but it occupies all our time.” Thomas Kelly

ADVICE

Historic testimonies of the Society of Friends against taking oaths, joining secret organizations, gambling and using addictive substances grew out of efforts of Friends to live with integrity and consistency. To swear an oath implied that one is obliged to be truthful only under oath. Joining secret organizations, gambling and using addictive and/or consciousness altering substances were recognized as practices which diverted resources from useful purposes, distracted attention from the Inner Light, and placed obstacles in the way of Friends seeking to lead lives of integrity. We recognize the spirit of these testimonies and endeavor to apply the same principles in our lives today.

Honesty and simplicity are essential parts of personal responsibility. We manifest our commitment to Truth in all we do. We can have joy and beauty in our lives without allowing material things to dominate them. We need to free ourselves from distractions that interfere with our search for inner peace, and accept with thanksgiving all that promotes fullness and aids in service to the divine Center.

QUERY

• How do we center our lives in the awareness of God the’ Spirit, so that all things may take their rightful places?
• How do we structure our individual lives in order to keep them uncluttered with things and activities? How does Meeting help us examine our personal lives for simplicity?
• Do we choose recreational activities which foster mental, physical and spiritual health?
• How are our lives affected by tobacco, alcohol and drug use? What can we do to deal with problems resulting from their use? What can we do to recognize and deal with unhealthy ways we treat ourselves?
• How do we ensure that we act with fairness and integrity?
• Are we sensitive to our own use of language which may be offensive or oppressive to others?

My response

In terms of living life at the center, I’ve been writing on my blog for almost 3 years now as a spiritual practice. This has made me listen more closely to the Inner Light, because each morning I try to discern what the spirit is saying to me, and how to express that. I eventually realized I was beginning each day asking “what are we going to do and write about today?”

The advice warns about the dangers of material things. Martin Luther King warned against three major problems in today’s society—materialism, militarism, and racism.

The query, “how do we ensure that we act with fairness and integrity?” raises questions about the overconsumption of fossil fuels, water, and other resources by our society.

We too often accept the materialism embraced by the society we live in, with personal automobiles, large homes, etc. Our economic system is built on the need for continued growth, which means ever increasing consumption of finite, nonrenewable resources. There is no integrity in anything we do that adds any amount of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The very survival of future generations depends upon us to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere immediately. The concept of simplicity in this context is crucial in terms of returning to a lifestyle that is not dependent upon extravagant use of resources, especially energy and water.

The query regarding fairness, integrity, and consistency also raises questions about privilege and structural racism (one of the things Martin Luther King warned about).

We would do well to ask ourselves “what is there in my life that someone of another race can not have or experience?”