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John Woolman’s Remedies for a Disease

Until a century ago, the term “consumption” referred to the disease we now call tuberculosis (TB). The understanding was that the illness consumed the lungs, which was why people got a persistent cough and eventually coughed up blood. “Consumptive” people were often sent to sanatoriums in the hope of healing and to prevent the spread of the disease to others, but most died. There was no effective medical treatment until the mid-twentieth century. TB is now rare in the United States though it is still a problem in many poorer countries, including Honduras, where I live. At the same time, another type of disease called “consumption” has fully infected wealthy countries like the U.S. and is quickly spreading to other parts of the world. This is the disease of consuming too many products. I am afraid that, without adequate treatment, this illness will continue to consume individuals and societies until all good qualities in our cultures die.

On Wealth (May 2020)

The Devil is Down in the Dumps

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)

Alchemy

A spoonful of pure gold Needs a roomful of ore:       Dug, crushed, ground,       Reacted, leached, extracted,       Purified with electricity, with fire.

On Secrets (July 2020)

Friendly Spousal Abuse (3)

Dear Editor: I think Anonymous “speaks to the condition of many.” I want to share some bits of advice that might help. You can find others in your position to talk with in chat rooms, both on the phone and online. Also, make sure to get acquainted with services you might need before you are in the position of needing them.

On Teachers (September 2020)

A Psalm

The Lord is my Prodder I want way more than I need. E pushes me down to lie in the mud. E drags me beside still waters and dunks my head. E drags me down the paths of righteousness griping and complaining for E’s sake. I cower and whimper as I walk near death. I remember with fear the evil I have done. Eu prod me with your pointy stick. Eu prepare a table where I watch my enemies eat the food I crave. Eu pour oil on me, ruining my shoes. My life will probably continue to suck. Until I say yes.

On Teachers (September 2020)

The Miracle Teacher

Much to my surprise, back in the late 1980s, my body taught me that running for exercise is fun.

On Teachers (September 2020)

The Fourth Bowl

Dear Editor: To “The Parable of the Bowls” by Debbie Townsend in the September/October 2020 Western Friend, I would add this:

On Rules (November 2020)

The Dreamer

To dream Is to stand at the Gate of Creation, arms akimbo, one foot planted firmly at the Edge of Eternity. The other foot solidly moored In the Patterns of Reality. Your body humming with the Eternal Dichotomy of advancement and retreat as one’s life proceeds to the warm, unknowable embrace of non-being. To many, this journey can disappoint or it can be the final point in a masterful life.

On Vision (January 2021)

Not Impossible Standards

Dear Editor: Thanks to Sharon Doyle for her interesting and informative article in the Nov/Dec 2020 Western Friend about the evolution of the peace testimony. She walked us through centuries with a thumbnail sketch that managed to contain the essence of our inconsistencies, both successes and failures. I have a truer and humbler appreciation for our past. It strikes me that I had similar feelings after reading Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship. Somehow, I feel that I don’t have an impossible standard to live up to, that Quakers then are like Quakers now: We have some brave, insightful trail-blazers, and the rest of us are trailing along behind, finding excuses until our lack of integrity finally becomes clear, and we see the Light.

On Vision (January 2021)