LIVE for HOPE, despite...

LIVE for HOPE, despite...

Despite the horrific slaughters, oppressions, abuses going on at the present time by Russian Orthodox Christians, Islamic jihadists of Iran and many other Muslim fanatic regimes,
the immoral and unjust twistings by extreme Left (Democrats) and extreme Right (Republicans) in modern America,

And the past worst of worst 20th century with more than 150 million humans killed in 50 years...
over 150 million pre-born infants executed...

And the endless abyss of history past including the Napoleonic War, 7 Years War, English and American unCivil Wars,
Ottoman-Hapsburg War, 30 Years War, French Religious Wars, Crusades, and back...
DESPITE, all those worsts. And endless common crimes...

BECAUSE of the contrary OPPOSITE WITNESSES
through the ages of what is good, true, caring, kind, just, relational, rational,
sharing, patient, forgiving, humble, meticulously honest, generous, peaceful, protecting, rejoicing, unselfish, altruistic, wise, LET US
follow Transcendence (G-d), moral realism, reason, guided science, and human rights,
working diligently to create a better future.

Listen to the great minds from some ancient Hebrew prophets such as Amos,
Plato and other Greek thinkers,
altruistic versions of Asian and Buddhist thought such as Ashka in the 3rd century BCE, a convert to Buddhism who allegedly freed his slaves, emphasized non-violence, tolerance, hospitals, opposed slave-trading, and supported animal care.

Yeshua, Jewish apocalyptic reformer in the 1st century CE, who emphasized that all humans ought to love others as themselves, even their national enemies! But he was executed by the Romans.

Early Waldensians, Francis of Assisi, Petr Chelcicky and early Bohemian Brethren were opposed to war,
George Fox, William Penn, Swiss Brethren and Menno Simons, all pacifists,
Spanish leader Las Casas, anti-slavery against Native Americans,
peacemaker and abolitionist John Woolman,
19th century Abolitionists including Lucretia Mott,

Elizabeth Fry for prison reform, Leo Tolstoy, Gandh, Catherine Booth and her son Herbert Booth of The Salvation Army, Charles Harrison Mason, Black leader of Church of God in Christ and pacifist in 20th century, early Pentecostal leaders,
and of course MLK,
A.J. Muste, Nelson Mandela, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Muslim pacifist leader,

Dorothy Day, Catholic pacifist and reformer, Catholic Thomas Merton,
Vietnamese Buddhist pacifist and reformer Thich Nhat Hanh, South Afrcan Desmond Tutu, Ronald J. Sider, leader in the Brethren in Christ,
and many more.


In the LIGHT,

Daniel Wilcox

Imagine George Fox Interacts with modern nontheist Quaker...

Consider somewhere countless individuals of real history and fictional ones exist and interact, coming together from human history, literature, media, and music.

What would Margaret Fell, William Penn, John Woolman, Lucretia Mott, Elias Hicks, Elizabeth Fry, Joel and Hannah Bean, Howard Brinton, Bayard Rustin have to say to each other?

Make your own educated guesses from your reading, viewing, and listening of past fictional and real individuals coming together to converse, act, and reflect.

Place all of the participating individuals in a particular place and time, a fictional or real setting.

Maybe, also have them talk with and interact with other actual famous individuals of history or the present time. For instance, Huck Finn (Mark Twain's novel), Wolf Larsen (Jack London's The Sea Wolf), and Captain Ahab (Melville's Moby Dick)
meet John Proctor (real individual of the Salen Trials) and Hester (Scarlet Letter).

Then they interact with Mayor Zohran Mamdani or President Trump or former President Biden, etc.

Playing around with time and space is a possible option, too. What if the European explorers didn't discover the Americas or the Reformation never occurred or Muhammad never existed
or the American Civil War didn't take place?

Or the current American political leaders show up in 1859...and meet Rhett Butler, Scarlet O'Hara (Mitchell's Gone with the Wind) and interact with Lucretia Mott and Martin Luther King Jr.?

The possibilities in this imaginative literary lounge are limitless:_).

In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

For my websites of poetry, articles, and fiction

http://www.psalmsyawpshowls.com/

https://shimmeringpebblesinthelightstream.blogspot.com/

http://lastthings.weebly.com/

http://lightwaveseeker.weebly.com/

http://planktonpelican.weebly.com/

http://infiniteoceanoflightandlove.blogspot.com/

In the LIGHT of the GOOD, the TRUE, the JUST,

Daniel Wilcox

great song of Altruism, moral realism

by Barry McGuire https://youtu.be/bajO8CYnQ-Q?si=wAqE0jP8i-lhKhc4

"Lean in toward the LIGHT by Carrie Newcomer

https://youtu.be/QmJezOlfvF0?si=2-bCz69zNY_Zr4UF

In the start of a new year, take a look at the wise reflections of Quaker Howard H. Brinton

Religion, spirituality, social actions, politics, etc.! so often fail.
All human thoughts and actions, seem given to near constant divisive fragmentation--to one extreme or another; almost always leaving us humans unbalanced, often distorted in our quest for truth.

As Quaker Howard H. Brinton insightfully explained in Friends for 300 Years this fragmentation even happens to renewal movements including the Friends who came into being for the very purpose of regaining the wholistic truth.

Yet the Quaker movement itself has swung amongst 4 different poles, seldom seeming to walk in balance and wholeness.

An excerpt by Brinton:
--
CHAPTER 10
Quaker Thought and the Present

"Through the three centuries of Quaker history the four primary elements present in all religion have at different times exerted their influence in varying degrees."

"During the first century and a half mysticism and evangelicalism were in balance in the group as a whole though many individuals tended to stress one or the other;

during the nineteenth century mysticism and evangelicalism were in conflict, each pressing the other to extremes in the group as a whole, though in many individuals the two were in balance;

and during the past half century rationalism and humanitarianism have assumed greater prominence, sometimes becoming dominant, though here again there are some individuals in whom the four tendencies are in balance."

"The best type of religion is one in which the mystical, the evangelical, the rational and the social are so related that each exercises a restraint on the others.
Too exclusive an emphasis on mysticism results in a religion which is individualistic, subjective and vague;

too dominant an evangelicalism results in religion which is authoritarian, creedal and external;
too great an emphasis on rationalism results in a cold, intellectual religion which appeals only to the few;

too engrossing a devotion to the social gospel results in a religion which, in improving the outer environment, ignores defects of the inner life which cause the outer disorder."
"In Quakerism the optimum is not equality in rank of the four elements. The mystical is basic."
--

Brinton goes on to warn against "vitalism which worships the life-force in its biological sense" and the other distortions of true spirituality.

About the only point where I disagree with Brinton is when he says the 4 qualities "each exercise a restraint on the others."

It is rather that when most open to the LIGHT, the 4 parts of true spiritual reality relate/commune, giving a redeeming uplift of each other.

Read Friends for 300 Years (it has been updated to Friends for 350 Years)
and be not only intellectually enlightened, but raised up in the LIGHT!

Daniel Wilcox

Live in the Light--do good actions, reject wrong ways

Here's some of the good ways
versus
wrong ways:


Good Actions and Ways:

kind, care, generous, humble, fidelity, monogamy, meticulous honesty, just,
equality, forgive, share, peace-seeking-creating, compassion, permanent-commitment, authentic,
moderation, help, bless, altruism-love, chaste, fertility, nurture, moral realism


VERSUS
Wrong Actions and Ways:

pride, abuse, promiscuous, group-national egotism, kill-slaughter-war, malice, obscene, greed, idolize what is finite, immorality, lgbtq*dq-actions, kink, fornication, porn, prostitution (sex work) adultery, lust, envy, jealousy, covet, drunkenness, stripper, slander, steal, hate, prejudice, insolent, polyamory, swindle, cheat, boastful, divorce-right, abortion-on-demand, wrath, revenge, hypocrisy, ruthless, sexual assault




In the LIGHT of the Good, the True, the Just..

Daniel Wilcox