Who Said Confict is Opportunity????

RantWoman is still digesting the weekend with John Calvi.

In particular RantWoman is wondering whose one word comment about conflict at her Meeting was "opportunity."

RantWoman has no way of knowing, partly because the only session where people went around and did names was Sunday Adult religious education. There RantWoman learned that judging by the names of those present, RantWoman was about the fourth youngest person present. There definitely were younger people present at the other sessions. It's just that since the sessions did not include introductions, RantWoman has no idea who they are.

Note to self: Think Opportunity. In the future, RantWoman will not wait around for others to get it; RantWoman will adopt the same practice as a now deceased director of a disability services agency. EVERY time she was in a large group, she announced that she is blind and asked everyone to say their names and any disability they identify as having. Of course, add this to pronouns. Do not forget the pronouns and in order to makes sure there is room for others, RantWoman will TRY to keep thoughts on the pronouns question Twitter length.

Miscellaneous other popcorn kernels, idiosyncratic Quakerish thoughts that popped into RantWoman's head but that did not really need to make it out of her mouth at the time.

Popcorn Kernel
John told a story of some kind of meeting related to the AIDS crisis.  Warning: this is how the story lingers on Planet RantWoman. Readers mileage will vary and RantWoman is happy to listen. At the meeting, people told their stories. On one side, there was a certain amount of clucking about what sheltered bourgeois lives others lead. No, of COURSE RantWoman has never thought anything like that. Nor were RantWoman's thoughts wandering away to a deceased friend who was still adding to his lifetime bird list from his hospital bed and whose blunt opinions of the AIDS quilt RantWoman gave a reporter permission to print.

But then a homeless woman at the meeting spoke up and talked about how she had nobody... Everyone crowded around her and embraced her. RantWoman, to be honest does not know what to do with stories like that. RantWoman would certainly find a moment to talk individually with such a person but RantWoman finds big huggy crowds unnerving

More to the point, the moment summoned fond thoughts of a Wise Quaker Woman Friend formerly of RantWoman's Meeting. Wise Quaker Woman Friend had a singular take on the Golden Rule about "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Wise Quaker Woman Friend was fond of saying "Why should I do unto them what I want? What if they want something different? Shouldn't I do unto them as they want?" RantWoman definitely believes in a God that can handle such Light.

Popcorn Kernel
John told a story of a woman with mental health problems who was hard to deal with off her meds. Eventually, John conceded, she moved to FL to live with her brother. This would be the concept of way opening at least for the local Friends.

John says "When people are behaving badly, tell them to stop it."

Okay!

Stop silencing.

Stop gaslighting.

Stop pretending RantWoman does not exist....

Please try to make room in your heart / imagination / .. for thoughts that Friends may have a number of different perspectives.

This could get to be WAY too much fun. Please hold us all in the Light.


One last popcorn kernel
People in unprogrammed meetings are not accustomed to sermons. In the Pacific NW though there are many Friends churches where, Good Lord have mercy, God instructs people actually to prepare ministry. Here is a highly topical sermon from Mike HUber of West Hills Friends Church.


https://soundcloud.com/westhillsfriends/the-gift-of-conflict-by-mike-huber