Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Library (Quaker PYM Library)

Today's chapter from Michael Birkel's book "A Near Sympathy: The Timeless Quaker Wisdom of John Woolman" is titled "Empathy." Empathy is that quality which Wool...man expresses by the term "near sympathy," and it arises in us, as he describes in his Journal, from a will that conforms to universal love and a sense of others' condition. Yesterday's reading included Woolman's experience of a vision in which he heard the words "John Woolman is dead," and he came to realize it meant the death of his own will. That expression always caused difficulty for my students when we studied Woolman. They saw it in modern terms as a denial of personal agency, and especially those who have been abused were often triggered by it as they recalled instances of submission to others. Birkel describes the expression, however, in more positive ways: "When Woolman speaks of the 'death of the will,' he does not imply spiritual suicide. Instead, he means a letting go of compulsive behavior that results from living our lives centered in fear rather than love. He means a release from the illusion that an incessant drive for power, prestige, and wealth affords us any finial control over our destinies." This experience of divine love, Birkel goes on to explain, "...brings us to commit ourselves to seeking a just human society. We root out hypocrisy from our lives, so that our actions are in harmony with our convictions. We find the strength to make necessary changes in our lives, knowing that a simple life shows our commitment to God's desire for justice and righteousness." The examples Michael Birkel draws from Woolman's writing are especially dense and difficult in this chapter, but one excerpt that speaks powerfully to his empathy comes from an experience that I had shared about in the woods with my Vayshnava friend. I had mentioned Woolman's incredible journey during the Seven Years' War in 1763 to meet with an Indian village at Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, out of a motion of love and desire to learn from them: "I was led to meditate on the manifold difficulties of these Indians,...and a near sympathy with them was raised in me; and my heart being enlarged in the love of Christ, I thought that the affectionate care of a good person for those in affliction does not exceed what I then felt for that people...." For the record, that expression of love from Woolman came at a time when the governor of Pennsylvania had called for a bounty on the scalps of Native Americans. May we in our day develop a "near sympathy" for those described unfairly to be our "enemies."

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One of the posters that adorned the walls of the Hut when it served as Guilford's campus ministry center was this quote from John Woolman: "There is a principle... which is pure, placed in the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names. it is, however, pure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity, In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation soever, they become brethren in the best sense of the expression." The quote is a centerpiece of Michael Birkel's chapter, "Engaging the World: Practical Considerations" in his book, "A Near Sympathy: The Timeless Wisdom of John Woolman." In the chapter, Birkel discusses the different ways Woolman engaged others in consideration of the pressing social issues of his day. In the examples shared, Woolman directs his concerns to the "pure witness" in others and seeks to draw it out with compassion and humility. Retired Guilford peace studies professor Vernie Davis has written extensively about Woolman's approach to conflict resolution and notes that his approach was one of mutual interest, of "joint reciprocity." Rather than wagging his finger in the face of those with whom he had a "concern" and lashing out at them, he would engage by saying, "We have a problem. Here is what it is doing among us. What are we going to do about it?" Slavery was a case in point. It injured not only the enslaved but also the one doing the enslaving and that person's offspring -- and the damage done extended throughout society. Birkel ends this chapter with lessons drawn from Woolman's form of conflict resolution: 1. Do not pretend the conflict is not there. 2. Value real community. 3. Keep your eye single to righteousness, not self-image or self-righteousness 4. Move beyond merely blaming others. "Genuine humility and charity must characterize the labors of those seeking to convince others of the need for social change to bring about justice." As we face the contention and conflict of the present, my hope is that we can keep to the "pure witness."

(Max Carter October 25, 2020) As I was sitting in the Underground R.R. woods last week with my Vayshnava friend, trying to answer his question about what motiva...ted those Quaker abolitionists to take such risks in defense of those who had no capacity to "reward" them, I shared a passage from John Woolman's Journal. It is the centerpiece of today's chapter, "Suffering and Redemption," from Michael Birkel's "A Near Sympathy: The Timeless Quaker Wisdom of John Woolman." The passage is lengthy, but bear with it: "In a time of sickness...I was brought so near the gates of death that I forgot my name....I saw a mass of matter of a dull gloomy colour...and was informed that this mass was human beings in as great misery as they could be and live, and that I was mixed in with them and henceforth might not consider myself as a distinct or separate being....I then heard a voice..., 'John Woolman is dead.' I soon remembered that I once was John Woolman,...and I greatly wondered what that heavenly voice could mean.... I was then carried in spirit to the mines, where poor oppressed people were digging rich treasures for those called Christians....Then I was informed that these were told that those who oppressed them were the followers of Christ, and they said amongst themselves, 'If Christ directed them to use us in this sort, then Christ is a cruel tyrant.' ....Then the mystery was opened, and I perceived...that the language 'John Woolman is dead' meant no more than the death of my own will." Birkel explores the meaning of this dream in the context of Woolman's sense of the inter-connectedness of all things and the requirement of followers of Christ to experience a "near sympathy" for those who are oppressed. He ends the chapter with this reflection: "Most people do not have extraordinary visions like John Woolman's. Our own era, though, cries out for redemption at the social level. Injustice is still very much with us. John Woolman's experience invites us to see our labors for a world redeemed as a participation in the central mystery of the Christian faith, the ongoing work of the cross. John Woolman reminds us that those we identify as the oppressors also need redemption....His vision invites us to act for justice out of that sacred center that we encounter in worship...." 46You, Chuck Fager, Olivia L Riordan and 43 others 10 Comments 4 Shares Love Comment Share See more

Have you heard? On zoom, a reading group! Pamphlets!! Four Doors to start!!! Register! https://pendlehill.org//pendle-hills-reading-group-october/

A wonderful article by Michael Wajda in Friends Journal this month. https://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/

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Two long calls yesterday had me deep in conversation about the ground out of which Quaker social action grows. Quite often, Friends emphasize the fruit of peace... & justice work, environmental and economic stewardship, work for racial equity and human betterment, and the emphasis on integrity of personal and corporate life -- but don't discuss the soil that nourishes it. The first call had us exploring the "spiritual testimonies" that form that Quaker seed bed: direct and immediate access to Truth through the Indwelling Light of G-d; the "Gathered Meeting" to discern that Truth together; continuing revelation through the sacramental nature of all of life; and "Holy Obedience" to the Truth. In the second call, a researcher on the Underground R.R. in North Carolina was asking about what inspired Quakers to take such a counter-cultural position on slavery in the South. It led, of course, to talking about the 1688 "Germantown Remonstrance;" the ground-breaking work of Benjamin Lay, Anthony Benezet, and John Woolman; and the radical results from taking seriously the belief that there is, indeed, that Indwelling Light, Life, and Power in all people which, when turned to, will lead into Truth. That belief led inevitably to the work of removing the impediments in society that prevent easy access to that Light. Think of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Slavery and violence are certainly such impediments. It should continue to inform our action in the world.

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