What can love do today?

Our culture has become a cauldron of too many choices, too many things, too many messages, and too much murkiness.  On the one hand, people will say:  It is our perfect right to have such a culture.  On the other hand, research is clear that people do not gain satisfaction when there are too many choices from which to decide.

But that is not all.  Once upon a time, many people forming and living the culture on the land later dubbed the United States of America attempted to build a culture with virtue and virtuous practices at its core.  The intent was to feature choices good for people and good for the culture, and to limit or reduce self-destructive choices.

That was a very difficult and flawed task.  For starters, who decides?

Over the millennia, the task has been diluted to the point it exists in history books. The present view is murky and often frightening to many.  Exhausting for sure.  And where is virtue?

We are in a hot cauldron.  Not a hot sticky mess, but a cauldron.

Such were the conditions in the mid-seventeenth century in Europe.  The response? Reduce the power-presence and increase the presence of Light, of the felt experience of spirit and love, and share love in community.  Do it without laws and control.  Do it because it is the right thing to do. Do it with as many people freely giving to the project as possible. 

But what of today? I sense we are drifting.  Too many choices.  Too many people trying to control.  Too many obviously flawed and dangerous choices being made, supposedly, on our behalf. 

The result for us: Our life expectancy is shortening.  Our health status is the weakest of any advanced nation, not by a little bit but by multiples. Our suicide rates keep increasing. We are the least happy and the least effective advanced nation on the face of the earth.

We Quakers are needed right here at home.  Now.  Reaching out in love and doing our very best to be spirit led.  Our children youth and families need us, and they need us now.

In 2019, James Hankins at Duke published this book:  Virtue Politics: Soulcraft and Statecraft in Renaissance Italy – it is about what happened after the introduction of banking by the Medici and how it fed chaos.  What saved the day and allowed people and small waring feudal city-states to come together to form Italy?  Caring for the children.  Teaching them virtue – not with a rod and an embarrassment, but with care and concern that all humanity cries out for and deserves.

What is our work Friends?  See you there.

In grace and gratitude – Larry