On slavery, priorities, virtues and vices

It's still percolating in me, this notion that slavery is in my own town in the form of child sex trafficking.  I have wondered which starfish to rescue and the answer is clearer.  

If you know about slavery in your town, can you remain complacent?  Can you NOT act?   So many things wrong in our world -- our own bodies (are we as fit and healthy as we should be?), our home, our families, our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities, our nation.   I guess we all have our own priorities on what to work on fixing.  

I guess you can be against something (like injustice) and for something (like justice) without throwing your heart, voice, time and money at it.  

I must remember this.   We all are working to make the world better in some way or another, and my ways are not the only ways.   There is probably a sin of pride and virtue of humility involved in this. 

I am going to work on trafficking, community building, and my health (that fitness thing) at once by participating in a fundraising run to benefit the local center that helps victims of sexual assualt. 

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly

a bit of preaching

The AltSimLiv calendar has introductory-type info for the first few days. Today's message resonates with me and perhaps with you, whoever you are.

"Living more simply may mean dealing with our own resentment when others don't "get it." When we are making corrections to lieve more responsibly, and others don't seem to have the slightest inclination to change their wasteful ways, we may feel angry. We can be living testimonials. We are not judgmental but we speak up whenever we have the chance." Alternatives fo Simple Living, 800-821-6153.

I try not to feel angry at others who are behind me on the path to simple and sustainable living. I love the idea of being a living testimonial. At the same time, no sense in hiding our light under a bushel!

So I'll try harder not to judge all the single-occupant cars that pass me when I wait at the bus stop, especially since many times I am one of those drivers!

The other thing that gets to me are engine idlers. In 2008 I stopped using drive-throughs and no longer idle the car except at traffic lights. (and sometimes not then eithe!) How do I be a living testimonial of something I'm NOT doing anymore?

I am led to distribute propaganda supporting the anti-idling message to idlers I encounter. But I fear this is too judgmental, presumptious, arrogant, etc. I'm not ready yet to go forward with this.

The last two sentences of the AltSimLiv message make me think about the sins of pride and the others (lust, sloth, gluttony, greed? I don't recall) Pride is my challenge.

My retail abstinence is going alright. But the month is young.

Peace, y'all

Molly

Truth and integrity

Yes, I am thinking about the hard stuff. I am glad I have never been asked to submit to a drug test. I am clean and think my word on this should suffice.

Cat Lovers Against the Bomb (thanks, Nebraskans for Peace) reminds me today is anniversary that in 1999, the US Senate rejected the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, 48-51. Dark day. Not a moment of our nation's history I am proud of.

Peace, y'all

Molly

Humility, please?

I have always found it easy to apologize when I made a mistake. But I have learned something. It takes more effort to REALIZE I have erred.

This happened this week. I had an idea and I plunged in. I didn't talk to others about it who had a role, and they were unhappy. I don't know, since the communications were email, whether they were some version of angry or hurt, but I know I rocked the boat. After a few days I cooled off and realized that my idea may be valid, my process was poor.

I have some of the 21 steps of personal peacemaking in my head and I will check Lynn Fitz-Hugh's list to find some clearness and reality. I plan to resolve this mess peacefully.

I think that nasty sin of Pride presided. Humility is the cure and I will actively practice it.

Peace peace peace

Yes, peace begins at home. With more time at home, due to the holidays, I will actively practice peace. Hope you do the same!

Pride vs Gratitude

Today lots of people I work with wore costumes. One man became a US citizen last year, and wore a "Proud to be American" t-shirt. (This man was born in Arkansas and lost his citizenship on a technicality, and was Canadian for many years.) I told him I didn't feel proud to be American, I felt grateful and thankful. He asked me if I didn't think there was much in America to be proud of. I agreed but quickly pointed out there was also much to feel shame about. I also noted that pride was a 'sin."

This seemed to shut him down, which surprised me. Did I exercise a moral nuclear option? Is there no rejoinder to the claim of sin? I am curious, and wonder if the other sins have as much power. Pride, envy, gluttony, lust, greed, sloth, anger. What about selfish, thoughtless waste?

I hope this finds you well, and thankful

Pride

I don’t have a lot of pride but the little I do have gets me in trouble.

I am proud to be a Quaker, while at the same time flinching because pride is a sin.

I am proud of my writing skills. But this makes me extremely sensitive to comments on my writing, which does not go over too well at work.

I am proud of my extended family’s unity—but acutely aware of all the warts and flaws, and know that I would not choose to socialize with many of my cousins.

I am proud (I think) of my extended family’s academic prowess—and realize, however belatedly (I was in my 20s), that intelligence does not equate to virtue.

I am proud of my daughter, so is so eerily like me, and who has turned out so very well in so many ways. But I know that I had little to do with it, just my DNA and womb and doing my best.
Back to the gratitude thing: I am not proud to be American; I feel grateful to be American. I am quite lucky to live in a country free of the threat of war, in safe neighborhoods, with opportunities to improve my life and live well, with ample food, with clean water and air (relatively speaking of course).

Maybe I should practice more gratitude, and thank God for the ability to write fairly well, to thank God for putting me in a Quaker family, thank God that my father, as poor a father as he was, gave me the DNA to be healthy, intelligent, and a member of my extended family. And I do feel gratitude to historical Quakers for all the good they did. I didn’t do all those things. And I am deeply, deeply grateful that my daughter is so easy for me to love and raise.

Next time I feel some pride, I will not flinch or flog myself, I will quickly restate my thought to put gratitude into it.