Saturday, May 9, 2026
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Warholism & Quakerdom
This post is about an ethical muddle I'm in that I'm working my way out of. I am trying to be a good Quaker.
To be brief, I am careless about the pictures I put on the CQ Facebook site. They are pictures that are sometimes mine, sometimes borrowed with permission, and sometimes not; obviously that last one is the problem. To some people, it's clearly unethical, because careful photographers line up a shot and therefore own that view and that interpretation, and for me to take it, even if I alter it (which I do), is stealing.
It has bothered me because, often, I'm too busy to go looking for a free one, or to dig deep in my own archive, although I have taken many in my time. It's a matter of time to me, time and inspiration. I want to inspire, show where I see the divine. And sometimes I see it in other people's pictures, and I'm in a hurry.
Do I sound like I'm justifying a crime? If so, it's because I am. I can see photographers' objection. But, it's not like I'm selling them. I'm showing inspiration. To me, if you are at the top of the road to Monument Valley, and you take a picture of that road leading down into the desert (you know what I'm talking about, I hope), you don't own that view because thousands of people have taken that very same picture. I know some people will say, I waited for sunset, I set up my tripod, etc. True. But that view was there before you were. And I doctored it anyway.
This too is just justification. The way I doctor it is 1) go to Lunapic, 2) upload photo, 3) go to Art=Kandinsky, 4) notice that you can kandinsky it 100%-1%, choose what's best, 5) save. It makes a picture. more impressionistic. It adds lines. It may or may not be AI but it's been around for a while. "Cartooning" it is another clever trick. It's just things that pop artists do.
My meeting also was uneasy with it. Perhaps you can tell I'm uneasy with it. I am determined to do exclusively my own, or wiki-commons free (I haven't quite mastered that), so as to have a clearer conscience. One person said, and I'm grateful, "you don't always know, or can't tell, how a photographer will feel about your using their photograph." There are enough people out there that feel it's wrong, that it's time to stop doing it. Maybe it's a cue to find more of the inspiration in my daily life, and use that more, so that there's never any question whether I have what I need come Thursday night when it's time to advertise Quaker meeting.
Warhol, by the way, was also careless about where he got his photos. One of the best examples was Marilyn. He would colorize (cartoon) them but forget where exactly they were from. He is my inspiration, because he caught what people need to see. But by these standards, he wasn't ethical either. That's ok. I can be both, inspirational and ethical. On my bucket list is a Quaker calendar, with First Day, Second Day, etc. but kandinskyinzed photos of Quaker meetings or other Quaker things, like maybe Naylor or Rufus Jones. Not sure how this would play out. But I have to get my ethics in order before I even start. That means sorting what I use for what, or perhaps just not taking the inspirational ones, when I'm not sure it's ok.
To be brief, I am careless about the pictures I put on the CQ Facebook site. They are pictures that are sometimes mine, sometimes borrowed with permission, and sometimes not; obviously that last one is the problem. To some people, it's clearly unethical, because careful photographers line up a shot and therefore own that view and that interpretation, and for me to take it, even if I alter it (which I do), is stealing.
It has bothered me because, often, I'm too busy to go looking for a free one, or to dig deep in my own archive, although I have taken many in my time. It's a matter of time to me, time and inspiration. I want to inspire, show where I see the divine. And sometimes I see it in other people's pictures, and I'm in a hurry.
Do I sound like I'm justifying a crime? If so, it's because I am. I can see photographers' objection. But, it's not like I'm selling them. I'm showing inspiration. To me, if you are at the top of the road to Monument Valley, and you take a picture of that road leading down into the desert (you know what I'm talking about, I hope), you don't own that view because thousands of people have taken that very same picture. I know some people will say, I waited for sunset, I set up my tripod, etc. True. But that view was there before you were. And I doctored it anyway.
This too is just justification. The way I doctor it is 1) go to Lunapic, 2) upload photo, 3) go to Art=Kandinsky, 4) notice that you can kandinsky it 100%-1%, choose what's best, 5) save. It makes a picture. more impressionistic. It adds lines. It may or may not be AI but it's been around for a while. "Cartooning" it is another clever trick. It's just things that pop artists do.
My meeting also was uneasy with it. Perhaps you can tell I'm uneasy with it. I am determined to do exclusively my own, or wiki-commons free (I haven't quite mastered that), so as to have a clearer conscience. One person said, and I'm grateful, "you don't always know, or can't tell, how a photographer will feel about your using their photograph." There are enough people out there that feel it's wrong, that it's time to stop doing it. Maybe it's a cue to find more of the inspiration in my daily life, and use that more, so that there's never any question whether I have what I need come Thursday night when it's time to advertise Quaker meeting.
Warhol, by the way, was also careless about where he got his photos. One of the best examples was Marilyn. He would colorize (cartoon) them but forget where exactly they were from. He is my inspiration, because he caught what people need to see. But by these standards, he wasn't ethical either. That's ok. I can be both, inspirational and ethical. On my bucket list is a Quaker calendar, with First Day, Second Day, etc. but kandinskyinzed photos of Quaker meetings or other Quaker things, like maybe Naylor or Rufus Jones. Not sure how this would play out. But I have to get my ethics in order before I even start. That means sorting what I use for what, or perhaps just not taking the inspirational ones, when I'm not sure it's ok.
Monday, October 6, 2025
World Quaker Day
But I'm worse than most.
It was yesterday, Oct. 5
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Hello world
I've been posting about the Beginner's Guide to Quakerism pamphlet on Quaker social media and it has brought up a lot of issues, partly because I've read various posts that I wouldn't have read otherwise. The response has been good. It's very possible that there's a dearth of pamphlets like ours and that I've found a kind of niche.
I think Maurine Pyle was right in saying that this is what we need. She is gone now, but I remember her by distributing the pamphlets. We virtually give them away and offer a free pdf to anyone who asks. The Amazon prices are so low that we don't even have to advertise, when people see them they just say, "I can do that." They are low intentionally. Our goal is to get as many out there as we can, not to make money. We only want to get back the investment in printing, mailing, transport, etc.
On one site a guy was lamenting the fact that Quakers were limited to dying rural communities - dying because the old Quakers in them were dying. Where were the youth? Where have people gone? Good question which I've been mulling over since I read it. In fact I think they are a lot of places you wouldn't expect to find them. Young people are making youtubes and social media posts, and that's where young people are.
Another thing I'm mulling over is reframing the argument a little. How exactly do we put Quakerism on the table, in the light, in such a way that people find us? Good question, one I am beginning to put some time into.
I think Maurine Pyle was right in saying that this is what we need. She is gone now, but I remember her by distributing the pamphlets. We virtually give them away and offer a free pdf to anyone who asks. The Amazon prices are so low that we don't even have to advertise, when people see them they just say, "I can do that." They are low intentionally. Our goal is to get as many out there as we can, not to make money. We only want to get back the investment in printing, mailing, transport, etc.
On one site a guy was lamenting the fact that Quakers were limited to dying rural communities - dying because the old Quakers in them were dying. Where were the youth? Where have people gone? Good question which I've been mulling over since I read it. In fact I think they are a lot of places you wouldn't expect to find them. Young people are making youtubes and social media posts, and that's where young people are.
Another thing I'm mulling over is reframing the argument a little. How exactly do we put Quakerism on the table, in the light, in such a way that people find us? Good question, one I am beginning to put some time into.
Friday, May 30, 2025
Sunday, April 20, 2025
I wish everyone a joyous Easter. I am writing this from my heart.
I went to announce the Cloud Quaker meeting on the facebook site, and. ended up with a desert road. No flowers, no bunnies, no green grass, no nothing. I realized that my heart had become angry, barren, spiteful toward the Christian Easter-hat spectacle. The death camps were the last straw.
I have a few friends who are pastors or are involved in churches. They've been asking lately, where are all the people? Rows of pews are sitting empty. It's fairly easy, I'd tell them. To the young, the churches are too closely associated with evil - the man, the fascism, the death camps, killing all the birds, the eagles and whales, hate, stripping people of rights, etc. In other words this man that they support is the exact opposite of what they believe in or are looking for. The young are not coming back. Those churches will only get emptier.
When it's all over they'll break into the death camps and notice that this is where all the killing happened. It may not be the six million that they counted in Auschwitz, Berkau, etc. but then again it could be that many or more. Brown people, gay people, dissident people, innocent people, citizens, they don't care. Why do powerful people just want to kill people? Because they can. They can use their power, and make people disappear, and that makes them feel powerful. It's evil, and we can see it, and it looks evil to the world. Years after they liberate the camps they ask how it was that people could know this was happening and do nothing. It's wrong and it's obviously wrong. And in this case the churches not only know and approve, they encouraged it from the start.
The pastors themselves may not have been to blame. They may have focused on Jesus and Redemption, and the union of the divine and the human spirit, much as what we should be thinking about on this holiday. They may have been so focused on their message that they didn't see that the church basement and all the social events had turned into a political battleground where gullible people were being convinced that Zelensky was just as bad as Putin, that all that matters is that abortion be made illegal. In fact many of them have an unclear idea of the difference between Putin and Zelensky anyway. Sell out the free world? They're just doing what they're told.
"Doing what they were told" is what the nazis said years later, when asked how anyone could participate in a system that systematically kills people because of their race, in spite of innocence and legal rights. It's pretty clear that those who support him would support him no matter what, no matter what they were told, no matter who died in the process. It could be that racism is the driving force. They see America becoming brown and they're afraid. He's the man who can clear the deck and make it white again. So if there are some photoshopped pictures of people in El Salvador, and somebody makes up some whitewashed story about them, people are perfectly willing to believe that they are being protected by a strong hand of a savior. I think they felt that way in Germany too. They didn't know what was happening in the camps, but they suspected it, and still they did nothing because basically they had racial discomfort anyway and just wanted to live among other pure Germans.
For that reason I've become a little alienated from my fellow neighbors - I live in a somewhat German area, though my town itself is diverse and more open-minded. Racism is a universal scourge. It seems there will be this problem as long as there are different races trying to live together.
But the church has a job in this situation, and it's not to divide, to raise suspicion, to pass along false information and photoshopped pictures, or to justify death camps. It's not to encourage boys to go fight in the invasion of Greenland or the annexation of Canada.
To get back to the problem of low attendance, yes there are churches that are doing the right thing; they are the minority but they are out there. People still need God, and community, and the connection between the divine and the human spirit. These things have to start over, start at the bottom, start free of political concerns to the point that maybe I ought to shut up on a site like this and stick to holier content. Rest in peace to the churches, we can't solve that problem.
Nevertheless it's Hitler's birthday, and Easter. He is risen indeed.
I went to announce the Cloud Quaker meeting on the facebook site, and. ended up with a desert road. No flowers, no bunnies, no green grass, no nothing. I realized that my heart had become angry, barren, spiteful toward the Christian Easter-hat spectacle. The death camps were the last straw.
I have a few friends who are pastors or are involved in churches. They've been asking lately, where are all the people? Rows of pews are sitting empty. It's fairly easy, I'd tell them. To the young, the churches are too closely associated with evil - the man, the fascism, the death camps, killing all the birds, the eagles and whales, hate, stripping people of rights, etc. In other words this man that they support is the exact opposite of what they believe in or are looking for. The young are not coming back. Those churches will only get emptier.
When it's all over they'll break into the death camps and notice that this is where all the killing happened. It may not be the six million that they counted in Auschwitz, Berkau, etc. but then again it could be that many or more. Brown people, gay people, dissident people, innocent people, citizens, they don't care. Why do powerful people just want to kill people? Because they can. They can use their power, and make people disappear, and that makes them feel powerful. It's evil, and we can see it, and it looks evil to the world. Years after they liberate the camps they ask how it was that people could know this was happening and do nothing. It's wrong and it's obviously wrong. And in this case the churches not only know and approve, they encouraged it from the start.
The pastors themselves may not have been to blame. They may have focused on Jesus and Redemption, and the union of the divine and the human spirit, much as what we should be thinking about on this holiday. They may have been so focused on their message that they didn't see that the church basement and all the social events had turned into a political battleground where gullible people were being convinced that Zelensky was just as bad as Putin, that all that matters is that abortion be made illegal. In fact many of them have an unclear idea of the difference between Putin and Zelensky anyway. Sell out the free world? They're just doing what they're told.
"Doing what they were told" is what the nazis said years later, when asked how anyone could participate in a system that systematically kills people because of their race, in spite of innocence and legal rights. It's pretty clear that those who support him would support him no matter what, no matter what they were told, no matter who died in the process. It could be that racism is the driving force. They see America becoming brown and they're afraid. He's the man who can clear the deck and make it white again. So if there are some photoshopped pictures of people in El Salvador, and somebody makes up some whitewashed story about them, people are perfectly willing to believe that they are being protected by a strong hand of a savior. I think they felt that way in Germany too. They didn't know what was happening in the camps, but they suspected it, and still they did nothing because basically they had racial discomfort anyway and just wanted to live among other pure Germans.
For that reason I've become a little alienated from my fellow neighbors - I live in a somewhat German area, though my town itself is diverse and more open-minded. Racism is a universal scourge. It seems there will be this problem as long as there are different races trying to live together.
But the church has a job in this situation, and it's not to divide, to raise suspicion, to pass along false information and photoshopped pictures, or to justify death camps. It's not to encourage boys to go fight in the invasion of Greenland or the annexation of Canada.
To get back to the problem of low attendance, yes there are churches that are doing the right thing; they are the minority but they are out there. People still need God, and community, and the connection between the divine and the human spirit. These things have to start over, start at the bottom, start free of political concerns to the point that maybe I ought to shut up on a site like this and stick to holier content. Rest in peace to the churches, we can't solve that problem.
Nevertheless it's Hitler's birthday, and Easter. He is risen indeed.
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Intro to Quakerism
The following arrived in an e-mail from Quaker Religious Education Collaborative. I assume it's ok with them if I simply copy it and put it here. We've been talking a lot about how to get the newcomers a better view of what Quakerism is. Needless to say, we do a bit of this in Cloud Quakers and I have a pamphlet myself (last post). It's useful to me to just collect all Quaker intro material and I'm interested in any comments or other info out there.
| ||||||||
|
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Beginner's Guide to Quakerism
At the moment they are $.65 each plus postage. Postage is about $5 to send 20, much less to send a single one. Inquiries can be made to me here or you can communicate directlly on paypal at tlevsp @ gmail.com, no spaces.
The batch from the printers is really nice, well done, but underpriced, according to him. I told him to make me a sustainable price so that we can fix the price permanently. Also I will work on ordering more than 200 (requires more money than I can take out of the family budget) and that will lower the price further. Our goal is to keep the price as low as possible.
The batch from the printers specifically is a little more than 60 cents each. I round up to make sure I cover envelopes and gas to the post office. I do not charge for my time.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Beginner's Guide to Quakerism
by Maurine Pyle, Margaret Katranides, Thomas Leverett, and Fernando Freire
$3.83 + postage on Amazon
$0.99 on Kindle
Followers of this blog and the press will recognize this as the pamphlet, published in 2021 and printed at home by me for $0.80 each + postage. It will still be available in pamphlet form, printed more professionally, and possibly cheaper; stay posted. This Amazon version is at least available now, here from this site.
It was intended to give the average outsider a good general overview of what Quakerism is. It is, after all, a discipline to live by Truth and integrity, and to have as your community people who may feel differently about the exact role of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the literal doctrines of mainstream Christianity. Many Quakers today do not call themselves Christian; if so, what do they have in common? This pamphlet will explain.
Stay current here.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Five years of community
I said that I would do a soul-searching review on our five year anniversary, which just came and went. What I would ordinarily do is a lot of reflection followed by going back to how it always was. I'm trying to figure out a way to make it not same-same.
The problem we are struggling with is the same as many Quaker communities: we are getting older and are not attracting young families or anyone else for that matter. Sometimes they come and stay a while - a few weeks, or many weeks - and then they drift off. I may be the wrong kind of host for such a group. I've come to be somewhat Quakerly in my approach, taking a long time to decide anything and making sure there is consensus when in many cases consensus can't be found or won't make itself clear.
There are many possibilities for an online meeting: starting a business meeting, leaning toward social change, taking an active role in resolving national crises, making more of a community that shares music and social hours, making a First-day school online. Let's just say these are on the table for the coming year. I am paying the Zoom fee and hope to use it to its full extent.
Speaking of money, here's an annual report. The zoom fee is our only expense (I could surreptitiously slip in on another account but have chosen to have a personal account that is basically only used for the Quakers). I have published two books that advertise: All profits go to Quaker organizations. That money nowhere near covers the zoom fee but when it does I'll contribute profits to QVS or somewhere. In the meantime I am glad to pay most of the monthly fee myself. It's less than $20/mo. and I've actually forgotten how much exactly.
I would LOVE to see the whole thing grow exponentially though I imagine there would be a price to, for example, selling out to someone who had the money, had the people, but wanted us to change our stubborn Quaker beliefs just a little bit. I've often thought, it's a wonder someone like that hasn't come along. Quaker meetings nationwide have become small enough that I would consider them endangered, but, we cling tenaciously to survival, and we don't sell out. That's definitional, I guess.
The problem we are struggling with is the same as many Quaker communities: we are getting older and are not attracting young families or anyone else for that matter. Sometimes they come and stay a while - a few weeks, or many weeks - and then they drift off. I may be the wrong kind of host for such a group. I've come to be somewhat Quakerly in my approach, taking a long time to decide anything and making sure there is consensus when in many cases consensus can't be found or won't make itself clear.
There are many possibilities for an online meeting: starting a business meeting, leaning toward social change, taking an active role in resolving national crises, making more of a community that shares music and social hours, making a First-day school online. Let's just say these are on the table for the coming year. I am paying the Zoom fee and hope to use it to its full extent.
Speaking of money, here's an annual report. The zoom fee is our only expense (I could surreptitiously slip in on another account but have chosen to have a personal account that is basically only used for the Quakers). I have published two books that advertise: All profits go to Quaker organizations. That money nowhere near covers the zoom fee but when it does I'll contribute profits to QVS or somewhere. In the meantime I am glad to pay most of the monthly fee myself. It's less than $20/mo. and I've actually forgotten how much exactly.
I would LOVE to see the whole thing grow exponentially though I imagine there would be a price to, for example, selling out to someone who had the money, had the people, but wanted us to change our stubborn Quaker beliefs just a little bit. I've often thought, it's a wonder someone like that hasn't come along. Quaker meetings nationwide have become small enough that I would consider them endangered, but, we cling tenaciously to survival, and we don't sell out. That's definitional, I guess.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Pamphlets
I've been altogether way too quiet on this blog, and it definitely has not turned out to be what I envisioned, but I guess I'll keep you posted on the pamphlet.
The pamphlet, as you may know, is about a quarter piece of paper folded such that it has forty pages, four on each side of five different sheets of paper, and a piece of cardstock cut in half and folded over, printed on one side. It's a little funky but it has served St. Louis well for years and has also been sent out a couple of other places.
The price I came to, 80 cents each plus postage or a dollar a piece (I worry about postage) for domestic US, was based on price of paper and ink, price of going and getting it, etc. I found myself putting in an enormous amount of time for nothing or for very little remuneration (sp?). I justified this as fine with me as an ongoing contribution to Quakerism, but it meant that often dealing with the pamphlets got shoved behind other money-making enterprises in my household, or behind my writing, which was more fun but which sucked up infinite time. In other words, I'm not as aggressive as I could be in getting them out there and getting lots of buyers. It takes me about ten minutes to make a single pamphlet and often the problem is dealing with ink for my tiny printer, or going out and buying more paper or staples. I just tried to make sure I didn't lose money on it, and I didn't. But I didn't really succeed with it either.
When I moved to Galesburg I took it around to several printers in town. One gave me a quote of about $1.60 per pamphlet. It was probably a competitive quote. Another got all confused about what I described; I couldn't seem to explain, even showing it to him, what I wanted. A third I never actually tracked down, and I finally gave up and went back to doing them myself.
It's called Beginner's Guide to Quakerism, and it's a classic. It needs to be maintained.
The pamphlet, as you may know, is about a quarter piece of paper folded such that it has forty pages, four on each side of five different sheets of paper, and a piece of cardstock cut in half and folded over, printed on one side. It's a little funky but it has served St. Louis well for years and has also been sent out a couple of other places.
The price I came to, 80 cents each plus postage or a dollar a piece (I worry about postage) for domestic US, was based on price of paper and ink, price of going and getting it, etc. I found myself putting in an enormous amount of time for nothing or for very little remuneration (sp?). I justified this as fine with me as an ongoing contribution to Quakerism, but it meant that often dealing with the pamphlets got shoved behind other money-making enterprises in my household, or behind my writing, which was more fun but which sucked up infinite time. In other words, I'm not as aggressive as I could be in getting them out there and getting lots of buyers. It takes me about ten minutes to make a single pamphlet and often the problem is dealing with ink for my tiny printer, or going out and buying more paper or staples. I just tried to make sure I didn't lose money on it, and I didn't. But I didn't really succeed with it either.
When I moved to Galesburg I took it around to several printers in town. One gave me a quote of about $1.60 per pamphlet. It was probably a competitive quote. Another got all confused about what I described; I couldn't seem to explain, even showing it to him, what I wanted. A third I never actually tracked down, and I finally gave up and went back to doing them myself.
It's called Beginner's Guide to Quakerism, and it's a classic. It needs to be maintained.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Sky Ranch
I want to prepare you for a somewhat lyrical dreamers' post. One question arose recently, is there any good news, anything good happening in the world? Another question has arisen lately, what should be done with old Quaker villages where the populace is getting older and dwindling? What can be done about the world's children, suffering from lack of community and falling into drugs and despair? What can be done about states that consider taking care of children "socialism" and so remove funding from social programs, and let them starve?
There is a place in the far northwest corner of South Dakota, in Harding County, called the Sky Ranch. To me it's like a model, like Scattergood School. I'd fill the world with Scattergood Schools if I could, but you'll scoff at me, and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. Well maybe that's true, and it's true of Sky Ranch too. But both places worked. So to answer the first question, if you want to know something good in the world, pay attention to those people who have saved a life, or two, or three, and kept young wayward teenagers from killing themselves and turned them into productive citizens.
The Sky Ranch used to take wayward boys, and put them on horses, and turn them loose in the rugged western sagebrush country of Harding County. It worked for fifty years. They seemed to even be free of scandal and abuse, although who knows how they treated their horses. They turned kids around. Anyone who grew up there spoke highly of the place.
It closed in 2011. States don't have that kind of money for wayward boys, someone said. It was budget cuts that did it. They didn't do anything wrong, they just couldn't afford to keep it going. There's still a Sky Ranch Foundation. They have something out there besides a large bunkhouse and a commercial kitchen. But I'm not sure exactly what they have.
I was very impressed by Scattergood School. A group of Quakers took in wayward kids, Quaker or not, and gave them a community, and a home, and they thrived. These days they have issues because of course, they would never say no to transgender kids. It's a different world than it used to be, and there's no such thing as "isolated" if you have the internet and there's no such thing as "anything" if you don't. I can't solve all the problems in the world. But I'll tell you something: it doesn't matter, transgender, gay, city, anything, every kid deserves a home and a community. And the fact that not every kid has either is the first problem we should address in this world.
So, the question of what Quakers can do about this situation. We Quakers are smart. We know how to educate kids, and love them, and not use violence. We should use our skills to set up Quaker schools in these places. We can start with the Sky Ranch (if they'll let us). Geography is not a barrier. You set up a beautiful school that saves people's lives, and people will find it, and save themselves. Kids will insist on going there.
My last point is this: We Quakers are small, you might say. We're tapped from supporting good causes around the country. True. But we're also good teachers. And we know non-violent mediating skills. We can pool our resources. And there are a lot of people like Bill Gates and Elon Musk around with billions. It's not too hard to say somebody, look, saving wayward teens is the most important thing we can do with our time and money.
Sky Ranch may not be the place; they may have other ideas. When I was looking into the place I got online and took a little virtual tour. I was impressed by the wide-openness of it, the scarcity of people, the sky even though I couldn't see it. I will see it someday; I inherited a tiny speck of land bound up in a group and, if possible, I could extract myself from it and get a thousand bucks or so. That makes it worth the trip already. But South Dakota is quite beautiful, especially Harding County. I guarantee it. A little ranch out there would get along with everybody, and would save lots of kids.
It wouldn't have to be the only one.
There is a place in the far northwest corner of South Dakota, in Harding County, called the Sky Ranch. To me it's like a model, like Scattergood School. I'd fill the world with Scattergood Schools if I could, but you'll scoff at me, and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. Well maybe that's true, and it's true of Sky Ranch too. But both places worked. So to answer the first question, if you want to know something good in the world, pay attention to those people who have saved a life, or two, or three, and kept young wayward teenagers from killing themselves and turned them into productive citizens.
The Sky Ranch used to take wayward boys, and put them on horses, and turn them loose in the rugged western sagebrush country of Harding County. It worked for fifty years. They seemed to even be free of scandal and abuse, although who knows how they treated their horses. They turned kids around. Anyone who grew up there spoke highly of the place.
It closed in 2011. States don't have that kind of money for wayward boys, someone said. It was budget cuts that did it. They didn't do anything wrong, they just couldn't afford to keep it going. There's still a Sky Ranch Foundation. They have something out there besides a large bunkhouse and a commercial kitchen. But I'm not sure exactly what they have.
I was very impressed by Scattergood School. A group of Quakers took in wayward kids, Quaker or not, and gave them a community, and a home, and they thrived. These days they have issues because of course, they would never say no to transgender kids. It's a different world than it used to be, and there's no such thing as "isolated" if you have the internet and there's no such thing as "anything" if you don't. I can't solve all the problems in the world. But I'll tell you something: it doesn't matter, transgender, gay, city, anything, every kid deserves a home and a community. And the fact that not every kid has either is the first problem we should address in this world.
So, the question of what Quakers can do about this situation. We Quakers are smart. We know how to educate kids, and love them, and not use violence. We should use our skills to set up Quaker schools in these places. We can start with the Sky Ranch (if they'll let us). Geography is not a barrier. You set up a beautiful school that saves people's lives, and people will find it, and save themselves. Kids will insist on going there.
My last point is this: We Quakers are small, you might say. We're tapped from supporting good causes around the country. True. But we're also good teachers. And we know non-violent mediating skills. We can pool our resources. And there are a lot of people like Bill Gates and Elon Musk around with billions. It's not too hard to say somebody, look, saving wayward teens is the most important thing we can do with our time and money.
Sky Ranch may not be the place; they may have other ideas. When I was looking into the place I got online and took a little virtual tour. I was impressed by the wide-openness of it, the scarcity of people, the sky even though I couldn't see it. I will see it someday; I inherited a tiny speck of land bound up in a group and, if possible, I could extract myself from it and get a thousand bucks or so. That makes it worth the trip already. But South Dakota is quite beautiful, especially Harding County. I guarantee it. A little ranch out there would get along with everybody, and would save lots of kids.
It wouldn't have to be the only one.
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
To all-a-y'all, out there
I just want to take a moment to remember all of the people who have passed by over the years - some for only a meeting or two, some for as many as a year or two. I think that spiritual longing is the desire and need to connect with others of relatively the same religious orientation as yourself - and therefore I'm not too surprised if people move along from a small group of admittedly radical Quakers who, let's face it, have more in common in their political leanings than we have in our specific theology. we don't actually talk theology that much. Sometimes we have little in the way of active using the speaking from the silence to minister to each other.
Quakers tend to be so busy being activists in their daily lives that they welcome a half-hour of silent minutes clicked together, or in the case of larger in-person meetings, up to 59 or 60 minutes of pure silence. I find myself explaining by chat that we are silent the first half, and sometimes people click off, disappear, before that 30 minutes is even over. Usually, if they make it to the second half, we ask them if they have any experience with Quakerism and we have time for some friendly getting-to-know-each other. Still in the end I may not know as much about people's personal lives as I would if I walked into a church and just started visiting with everyone at the potluck brunch. Online leaves a few things to be desired and one is the excellent vegan food of a good Quaker potluck.
To all the varied and widespread people who have visited us over the years, I hope you are out there thinking of Quakers as sincere, well-meaning people who care about you from afar. That's really the best we can be, as you don't really want to get too involved in whatever we are doing here on the ground. I believe in community but this is where a virtual meeting really differs from a live one. In a live one you can simply go over to someone's house and minister to them, if they are sick, need a listening ear, or need to work something out. We've never had that luxury. Our members are in various states of distress and there's not much we can do about it.
I have just a few examples. One is a guy from England, who you'll recognize pretty quickly since we don't have too many from England. For one thing he had to wait until two or three in the morning to join us, but he did; he attended regularly. he had problems bad enough that he was forced to lose his autonomy and was hospitalized - and what could we do? At one point we wrote him letters or emails of support and that actually made some difference in the way he was seen and treated in his hospital situation. We still send him greetings and send our love. But what do we know, or what can we do? From over here we are in a virtual community yet it's basically nothing. He might be better served by a community that can actually visit him.
Yet in this world, many of us are in positions where our neighbors can visit us, yet don't really share the essence of Quakerism like we can. We do have a lot in common. And we are here, if you stop by to visit us, and we'll support you, in whatever form, in your quest to express and live out the life of peace and non-violence. I think there has to be a support system for people trying to make non-violence (especially spiritual non-violence) central to their daily lives.
Thank you for joining us, whenever it was, however long it was. We will still be here. Please come back and say hello!
Quakers tend to be so busy being activists in their daily lives that they welcome a half-hour of silent minutes clicked together, or in the case of larger in-person meetings, up to 59 or 60 minutes of pure silence. I find myself explaining by chat that we are silent the first half, and sometimes people click off, disappear, before that 30 minutes is even over. Usually, if they make it to the second half, we ask them if they have any experience with Quakerism and we have time for some friendly getting-to-know-each other. Still in the end I may not know as much about people's personal lives as I would if I walked into a church and just started visiting with everyone at the potluck brunch. Online leaves a few things to be desired and one is the excellent vegan food of a good Quaker potluck.
To all the varied and widespread people who have visited us over the years, I hope you are out there thinking of Quakers as sincere, well-meaning people who care about you from afar. That's really the best we can be, as you don't really want to get too involved in whatever we are doing here on the ground. I believe in community but this is where a virtual meeting really differs from a live one. In a live one you can simply go over to someone's house and minister to them, if they are sick, need a listening ear, or need to work something out. We've never had that luxury. Our members are in various states of distress and there's not much we can do about it.
I have just a few examples. One is a guy from England, who you'll recognize pretty quickly since we don't have too many from England. For one thing he had to wait until two or three in the morning to join us, but he did; he attended regularly. he had problems bad enough that he was forced to lose his autonomy and was hospitalized - and what could we do? At one point we wrote him letters or emails of support and that actually made some difference in the way he was seen and treated in his hospital situation. We still send him greetings and send our love. But what do we know, or what can we do? From over here we are in a virtual community yet it's basically nothing. He might be better served by a community that can actually visit him.
Yet in this world, many of us are in positions where our neighbors can visit us, yet don't really share the essence of Quakerism like we can. We do have a lot in common. And we are here, if you stop by to visit us, and we'll support you, in whatever form, in your quest to express and live out the life of peace and non-violence. I think there has to be a support system for people trying to make non-violence (especially spiritual non-violence) central to their daily lives.
Thank you for joining us, whenever it was, however long it was. We will still be here. Please come back and say hello!
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Active peacemaking
I've been all too quiet on this blog. It's not turning out to be an active collaborative give-and-take hub of Quaker thought and discussion, but rather a place where I occasionally implore people (you) to come join us and make one Quaker meeting see if it can make a difference.
I have always said that if you can keep one Quaker meeting alive, you have at least demonstrated a commitment to peace and justice through your very presence. Actually I would say that to everyone anywhere geographically, just go find one or start one and if you can't do that, join us or make one online. The world needs people who care more about peace than about the things they are killing each other over, and we peacemakers need to be organized enough to actively propagate the tools of peace and the insistence that peace is what's best for all of us, all the time.
We spend considerable time fretting about the various wars, in particular Israel-Gaza, and its victims, who will live with generations of terrorism and bad will because of inability of anyone to take a strong step between the two sides, rattle their cage, and get them to do the right thing for their people. I have no more sympathy for Hamas, who hides its hostages in hospitals and schools, than for Israel, which gets all thhe most modern guns and weapons to aim at those hospitals and schools, and says, your fault, you're killing your own people. Both sides are killing their own people. But enough of my rant. Where are the peacemakers? The ones who are trained to step between warring parties and change things?
In a Quaker meeting you can find people who are actively solving problems, whether we're talking homelessness, war, family disputes, whatever. That's why I say, go find one, or go make one. Blessed be the peacemakers. Don't waste your time on earth, or back off from conflict like I often do, unsure what the heck anyone can do about these confounded situations. Someone has to do something. ust letting them fester, or go on for years and years, clearly isn't the answer.
I have always said that if you can keep one Quaker meeting alive, you have at least demonstrated a commitment to peace and justice through your very presence. Actually I would say that to everyone anywhere geographically, just go find one or start one and if you can't do that, join us or make one online. The world needs people who care more about peace than about the things they are killing each other over, and we peacemakers need to be organized enough to actively propagate the tools of peace and the insistence that peace is what's best for all of us, all the time.
We spend considerable time fretting about the various wars, in particular Israel-Gaza, and its victims, who will live with generations of terrorism and bad will because of inability of anyone to take a strong step between the two sides, rattle their cage, and get them to do the right thing for their people. I have no more sympathy for Hamas, who hides its hostages in hospitals and schools, than for Israel, which gets all thhe most modern guns and weapons to aim at those hospitals and schools, and says, your fault, you're killing your own people. Both sides are killing their own people. But enough of my rant. Where are the peacemakers? The ones who are trained to step between warring parties and change things?
In a Quaker meeting you can find people who are actively solving problems, whether we're talking homelessness, war, family disputes, whatever. That's why I say, go find one, or go make one. Blessed be the peacemakers. Don't waste your time on earth, or back off from conflict like I often do, unsure what the heck anyone can do about these confounded situations. Someone has to do something. ust letting them fester, or go on for years and years, clearly isn't the answer.
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Peace in the New Year
I put my feeling about illuminaria (below) here, but the most important thing to say is, it's not really Quakerly, nor is it related to Cloud Quakers in any way. It's just me, in my house, saying I'm here, bring in the light, bring in the blessings of the new year. The world seems overwhelming these days. Israel is militant about killing as many Palestinians as possible, and Palestinians, even in the West Bank, are more supportive of Hamas than ever. And do you think the Russians and Ukrainians will ever just lay down their guns? I doubt it.
I try to envision what militant peacemaking might look like in today's world, when I feel more like a "slactivist," one who professes peace yet mostly just sits here in my chair. Yes I am NOT taking up guns, NOT shooting my neighbor, even feeding the hungry and doing my part to alleviate some of the divisions and strife in today's small town Illinois. But what is one supposed to do about Russia or Israel? I have no idea. To some, the answer is "don't vote for Biden." But to me, that's beginning to sound like "let Trump give all the guns to Russia instead of Ukraine."
One side of it says, pure force is the only answer. Israel must bulldoze Gaza until they wipe out the tunnels; Russia will use its superior force to get what it wants eventually unless we are in there with our superior force; China's invasion of Taiwan is almost a certainty. Where is the UN in all this? The UN is an illusion. Putting our hopes or our force into the UN seems to be somewhat pointless.
Calling on the US to have a less power-based foreign policy seems to have some hope, but I think someone should be able to spell out exactly what this would look like. The AFSC is there for that purpose, and still funded to some degree by American Quakers, but I'm not sure exactly what they've been doing, much less have any clue what I would have them do if I were working for them. They I think became somewhat pro-Palestinian over the years, but these days anyone who criticises Israel's bulldoze-and-kill-the-children war is considered "antisemitic." The evangelist-Trump alliance is probably Israel's best friend, as there's no question that most of the money used in the brutal bombing and starving of Palestinians has come from us and backed by a pro-Israel bloc that is easily a majority. Is the killing of a million or so Palestinians different from the starving and gassing of millions of Jews in World War II? Well, yes, in some ways. But it's still killing, and I'm opposed to it. Succesful militant peacemaking at this point could save millions of lives. But Egypt's plan doesn't seem to be doing it for either side.
In my chair, I'm opposed to all these wars. I have no idea what to do about it, so call me a slactivist. And this is my own opinion by the way, call me antisemitic if you want, but I'm just Tom Leverett, wishing you a Happy New Year here from Galesburg Illinois, and hoping for peace in the new year. Your comments are welcome.
I try to envision what militant peacemaking might look like in today's world, when I feel more like a "slactivist," one who professes peace yet mostly just sits here in my chair. Yes I am NOT taking up guns, NOT shooting my neighbor, even feeding the hungry and doing my part to alleviate some of the divisions and strife in today's small town Illinois. But what is one supposed to do about Russia or Israel? I have no idea. To some, the answer is "don't vote for Biden." But to me, that's beginning to sound like "let Trump give all the guns to Russia instead of Ukraine."
One side of it says, pure force is the only answer. Israel must bulldoze Gaza until they wipe out the tunnels; Russia will use its superior force to get what it wants eventually unless we are in there with our superior force; China's invasion of Taiwan is almost a certainty. Where is the UN in all this? The UN is an illusion. Putting our hopes or our force into the UN seems to be somewhat pointless.
Calling on the US to have a less power-based foreign policy seems to have some hope, but I think someone should be able to spell out exactly what this would look like. The AFSC is there for that purpose, and still funded to some degree by American Quakers, but I'm not sure exactly what they've been doing, much less have any clue what I would have them do if I were working for them. They I think became somewhat pro-Palestinian over the years, but these days anyone who criticises Israel's bulldoze-and-kill-the-children war is considered "antisemitic." The evangelist-Trump alliance is probably Israel's best friend, as there's no question that most of the money used in the brutal bombing and starving of Palestinians has come from us and backed by a pro-Israel bloc that is easily a majority. Is the killing of a million or so Palestinians different from the starving and gassing of millions of Jews in World War II? Well, yes, in some ways. But it's still killing, and I'm opposed to it. Succesful militant peacemaking at this point could save millions of lives. But Egypt's plan doesn't seem to be doing it for either side.
In my chair, I'm opposed to all these wars. I have no idea what to do about it, so call me a slactivist. And this is my own opinion by the way, call me antisemitic if you want, but I'm just Tom Leverett, wishing you a Happy New Year here from Galesburg Illinois, and hoping for peace in the new year. Your comments are welcome.
Monday, December 25, 2023
Friday, August 4, 2023
More Quakers on Zoom
Thee Quaker Podcast
Quakers and Zoom: How Videoconferencing Came to Quaker Worship and Whether It’s Here to Stay https://quakerpodcast.com/quakers-and-zoom/?fbclid=IwAR1adH3b_9k8q3wgEvvepXlnEpy0DT8wTBgznRklMFW3WUMLvyOBYNByltM
Listen for yourself (my hearing's bad) - let's remind them that Cloud Quakers was here first, has been here since before the pandemic, and whatever goods and bads there are with zoom gathering, we have experienced it.
It's kind of fun to find new sites, and notice that Quakers are at least getting out there online now. But remember zoom online meetings mean that everyone, everywhere, can connect to Quakerism if they are so inclined.
And as well, you are welcome to join us any time. See the template (side of blog) for details.
Quakers and Zoom: How Videoconferencing Came to Quaker Worship and Whether It’s Here to Stay https://quakerpodcast.com/quakers-and-zoom/?fbclid=IwAR1adH3b_9k8q3wgEvvepXlnEpy0DT8wTBgznRklMFW3WUMLvyOBYNByltM
Listen for yourself (my hearing's bad) - let's remind them that Cloud Quakers was here first, has been here since before the pandemic, and whatever goods and bads there are with zoom gathering, we have experienced it.
It's kind of fun to find new sites, and notice that Quakers are at least getting out there online now. But remember zoom online meetings mean that everyone, everywhere, can connect to Quakerism if they are so inclined.
And as well, you are welcome to join us any time. See the template (side of blog) for details.
Monday, July 17, 2023
Friends Journal does Virtual Meetings
https://www.friendsjournal.org/podcast/episode-5-virtual-communities/?fbclid=IwAR33b8XfEcdwhkyE84ME8JYFbNxnifL-4n-EOwaNyEylZgzBIjjDWEsBBFg
Quinn forwarded this link to me; I haven't had time to digest it thorughly. Apparently it starts with a podcast on this page. My hearing is not that great, so I'm not in the habit of getting information from podcasts. It's interesting, though, and it addresses an issue close to our hearts: how can we make our virtual meetings better?
I must say, we've been working on it. We have a lot to say about it. We've been trying for years now; we've been here since before the pandemic. We should be able to speak to the issue.
I'm not sure how well the comments function on this blog, but I encourage you to give it a try. Better yet, come visit our meeting and give us a piece of your mind.
You can find the details on Facebook if not on this very blog.
Quinn forwarded this link to me; I haven't had time to digest it thorughly. Apparently it starts with a podcast on this page. My hearing is not that great, so I'm not in the habit of getting information from podcasts. It's interesting, though, and it addresses an issue close to our hearts: how can we make our virtual meetings better?
I must say, we've been working on it. We have a lot to say about it. We've been trying for years now; we've been here since before the pandemic. We should be able to speak to the issue.
I'm not sure how well the comments function on this blog, but I encourage you to give it a try. Better yet, come visit our meeting and give us a piece of your mind.
You can find the details on Facebook if not on this very blog.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
All profits go to Cloud Quakers and/or QVS
I've been saying this a lot on Quaker websites where I advertise my new book (below post), Ten Quaker Closet Plays. I thought I'd explain what this really means.
The zoom fee for Cloud Quakers is ~$16/mo. I could do our zoom on my daughter's university account or some such runaround, but I chose to have my own account so I could make it available to any Quaker for any Quaker event, as well as my family if they should so need it, which they haven't so far. In any case this book and the other book (Quaker Plays for First Days), which is sold under the same stipulation, doesn't really come close to covering this zoom fee. I will be lucky to get that much this month and this will probably be the biggest month.
There is always, however, the possibility that some large Quaker gathering will choose to buy about ten of them at one time, or, everyone will get online and download ten or even twenty of them. Right now you get about 1/3 of a penny for every page read, which means that if 20 people downloaded and read the book I'd get about $8, but if 12 people bought the book I'd get another $8. Either way I'd be lucky to ever get to $16 in a month.
What you are seeing is that we are not talking about a huge economy here. How many Quakers are there? How many of them just buy a book of plays when it comes out? So far, just me and maybe a friend or two. Some people know the first book, which was explicitly aimed at First-Day, and some of the plays in it were pretty good. That book is getting a makeover. If there is only one Quaker playwright in any given generation, that one has to be as good as possible. And that's what I intend. It's not a bad book.
By the way, if more than forty buy it, then Quaker Volunteer Service comes into the picture.
The zoom fee for Cloud Quakers is ~$16/mo. I could do our zoom on my daughter's university account or some such runaround, but I chose to have my own account so I could make it available to any Quaker for any Quaker event, as well as my family if they should so need it, which they haven't so far. In any case this book and the other book (Quaker Plays for First Days), which is sold under the same stipulation, doesn't really come close to covering this zoom fee. I will be lucky to get that much this month and this will probably be the biggest month.
There is always, however, the possibility that some large Quaker gathering will choose to buy about ten of them at one time, or, everyone will get online and download ten or even twenty of them. Right now you get about 1/3 of a penny for every page read, which means that if 20 people downloaded and read the book I'd get about $8, but if 12 people bought the book I'd get another $8. Either way I'd be lucky to ever get to $16 in a month.
What you are seeing is that we are not talking about a huge economy here. How many Quakers are there? How many of them just buy a book of plays when it comes out? So far, just me and maybe a friend or two. Some people know the first book, which was explicitly aimed at First-Day, and some of the plays in it were pretty good. That book is getting a makeover. If there is only one Quaker playwright in any given generation, that one has to be as good as possible. And that's what I intend. It's not a bad book.
By the way, if more than forty buy it, then Quaker Volunteer Service comes into the picture.
Friday, June 9, 2023
Ten Quaker Closet Plays
For reflection and discernment
and for adult education and quarantine zooms...
read about Fox, Nayler, Rufus Jones, Hoover, Nixon, and even Smedley Butler (Nixon and Butler grew up Quaker, but weren't Quakers as adults).
On Amazon
Paperback $5.40 + shipping
Kindle $1.99, or free on Kindle Unlimited
Hardcover $12.80 + shipping
Profits go to Cloud Quakers or Quaker Voluntary Service
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
