Symmetry in Dissonance

Quakerism and resistance converged in my life simultaneously in the autumn of 1983. I went to an anti-war demonstration taking place at the Seneca Women’s Encampment located just outside the Seneca Army Depot, near Romulus, NY. I had agreed to accompany and support my partner who was planning to engage in civil disobedience. This was my first experience in public protest as adult. When I was a youth in the mid 1960’s my mother would take my three brothers and I to Civil Rights marches. That was the extent of my activism.

The Army Depot demonstration had a cacophonous energy. Almost immediately, although fascinated by the energy of the activists gathered, I felt overwhelmed. A friend who recognized my distress pointed me to a log cabin that was situated a little way from the commotion and said: “There are some Quakers sitting in silence there. They’re very peaceful and welcoming.” I’d heard of Quakers before, but never knowingly encountered one. I entered the rustic structure tentatively and gradually settled into the Silence despite the boisterous fray outside. Unbeknownst to me in that moment, seeds were planted deep within me. Symmetry in dissonance. I’d encountered a stillness there that lingers to this day. Shortly after the demonstration I looked for and then began attending the nearest Quaker Meeting in Ithaca, NY.

In the decades that followed, my relationship with Quakerism and resistance both deepened. In part I blame this evolution on the Peace Testimony which challenged me to put my feet where my faith was leading. Crossing lines at military bases, “beating swords into plowshares,” courts and jails/prisons became a way of life. For most of those years I lived in faith-based communities, primarily Catholic Worker Houses, as I wasn’t aware of any Quaker Workers. Throughout my geographical changes I kept my feet firmly in Quakerism and resistance. The Peace Testimony was my metronome.

When Light lead me to the southwest at the turn of the century, I encountered the spirit of Jim Corbett. His passion for those labeled “undocumented/illegals” resonated and my activist focus became border work particularly humanitarian aid in the desert. “Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable,” as the adage goes. This ministry occasionally led into courtrooms. Incarceration has never been my goal, but rather is sometimes the consequence of breaking the state's sense of law and order. The state uses incarceration as a deterrent to violating the so-called social order. Human law itself becomes invalid when it violates human rights and Divine Law. Within the bounds of nonviolence and love, mind and soul must be resisted as one's conscience and Light lead.

While most civil disobedience does not necessarily end up to incarceration, I did find that my various “down times” offered ample opportunity to practice many of our Testimonies. Most of my actions were in the context of prayer vigils on 'private property' and trespass laws charges were invoked. I don't ever invite incarceration. I accept it as a consequence. the 'Plowshares" witness in which we pounded with household hammers on Trident missile components lead to more significant consequences. We were symbolically beating “swords into plowshares." A witness that resulted in being sentenced to a year in the Rhode Island State Penitentiary. The prison environment certainly speaks to Simplicity. Cells and units are generally bare bones. And each facility comes with a community of men that I’d likely not run into at Yearly Meeting, although I did bond well with a Mennonite once in, of all places, a prison camp in “Penn’s Holy Experiment,” Pennsylvania. Our Quaker Testimony of Community deepens considerably behind bars, not to mention Integrity. And the Peace Testimony that got me behind bars and air lock doors in the first place gets a worthy workout.

The versatility of our practice allows for a continuous stream of worship regardless of geography. No clergy nor liturgical formalities are needed. And there are often periods of extended silence especially in solitary.

Practicing our Testimonies inevitably becomes sacred resistance especially when culture is in decline.

Our Quaker history is rife with stories from “dungeons vile.” Our Light shines even brighter in darkness. From Friends’ earliest days up to and including the contemporary Sanctuary movement wherein Meeting Houses, including ours, are in violation of the law. We don't invite incarceration by doing this, but recognize it as a consequence of our faith and practice.

john heid is a member of Duluth-Superior (Minnesota) Monthly Meeting (Northern Yearly Meeting) currently sojourning with Pima Monthly Meeting, Tucson, AZ since 2010.