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On Separation

• Authored by:
• Mary Klein

The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference. The opposite of faith isn’t doubt; it’s certainty. Even though “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” (Article 1 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights), human dignity is not, in fact, universally respected, but is instead routinely trampled under the urgency to build, achieve, instruct, repair, etc. People rarely exercise much patience for actions or attitudes that don’t fit into their own plans.

On Separation (November 2019)

A Needless Dualism

• Authored by:
• Suzanne Simons

Dear Editor: I appreciated Matt Boswell of Sierra-Cascade’s article on Martha and Mary. How gracious, profound, inspired, and true that these two women’s approaches to Jesus and life were both important and valid. A both-and, not an either-or. Thanks, Matt, for deconstructing yet another needless dualism.

On Mediation (January 2020)

Quakers and Conflict (letter 1)

• Authored by:
• Mike Shell

Dear Editor:

On Art (March 2020)

Quakers and Conflict (letter 2)

• Authored by:
• Bob Kinsey

Dear Mary:

On Art (March 2020)

48 Windows

• Authored by:
• Billy Jivetti

[This article is abridged from a longer version, which is at: https://westernfriend.org/media/48-windows-campaign-unabridged]

On Wealth (May 2020)

The Devil is Down in the Dumps

• Authored by:
• Paul L. Niebanck

Dear Editor: Elizabeth Boardman’s piece in the March/April issue has given me great joy. Her article, “The Fancy Sunday Hat,” takes me back to my own childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. At age four or five, I learned a song in our Methodist Church Sunday School that has served me well through almost nine decades.

On Wealth (May 2020)

No Map to Sustainability (2)

• Authored by:
• William Ashworth

Dear Editor: Friend Bob Langfelder is correct that my article is not a roadmap to get a whole society off fossil fuels. It was not meant to be. No map is necessary before a journey is undertaken. My purpose was to encourage Friends to undertake the journey.

On Secrets (July 2020)

No Map to Sustainability (1)

• Authored by:
• Bob Lanfelder

Dear Editor: The article by William Ashworth of Ashland, OR, in the May/June 2020 Western Friend is a perfect example of righteous, individual fossil fuel purity that judges the rest of us gas users as sinners. No analysis on how we transition to get whole society off fossil fuels. No accounting for all the fossil fuels that went into making his Chevy Bolt EV.

On Secrets (July 2020)

2050 Predictions (2)

• Authored by:
• Hayley Hathaway

My article certainly was an experiment in speculative fiction. I think that trying to create a strong, inspiring vision is one of the most important first steps in making change. Many of our movements have failed because we assumed that general support from most of the populous was enough to make big policy changes, when in fact, it’s usually a small, very dedicated, creative, and strategic group of single-minded folks that make change. I’m motivated by Sunrise Movement and how they are learning from and teaching lessons from the past, while also carrying forward their unique perspectives as young people who literally have no choice but to “Fight for our Lives.”  ~~~

On Teachers (September 2020)

Evolution of The Peace Testimony

• Authored by:
• Sharon Doyle

[The following article is abridged from a more complete original text, which is available at: westernfriend.org/media/evolution-testimony.]

On Rules (November 2020)