Complacency
John Punshon writes on page 61 of his Encounter with Silence: "Once adopted, Quaker worship can be dangrous. Its characteristic sin is complacency." I know I've also mused here on the difference between contentedness (which I think is a virtue) and complacency (which is not), but I can't find the link to that post at the moment.
Anyway, I was moved by the wisdom and truth in this monolog in the Arlo & Janis cartoon strip yesterday. (You can see it here.) Arlo is talking over the breakfast table to Janis in four panes:
We really are lucky when you think abou it!
We have food, a nice home, a kid in college! We have each other -- and our health!
Yes sir, we should look at the big picture.
Or would that be the little picture?
It reminds me of another paradoxical dichotomy I may have written about here before. When Paul Wellstone died in October 2002, a lot of us began to wear green buttons that quoted him: "Stand up! Keep fighting!"
I remember worshiping at Morningside Meeting in New York City shortly thereafter. I was wearing the green button and I was moved to say: "I would like another button for my other lapel, a red one, maybe, that reads: "Sit down! Stop fighting!"
The Christian life is in constant tension between being simultaneously prophet and peacemaker, and I need to have both reminders to keep that tension in its proper balance.
3 comments:
Are you coming to B'Ham for the National in June? I hope so. I stay with the Smiths and I hope you will, also, because I never realized I had such a Brother in Quakerism before. I just did a random search on Shaped Notes in my own profile and came up with you. You can include my "Quaker War" blog with yours, if you wish.
John Boanerges Redman
I'm not sure. I would love to, but I don't think this is the year. We have two teens who are developing their own summer plans (that don't necessarily include Sacred Harp singing) that are quickly filling up our summer. . . . I do have the National Convention on my list of must-visits, though.
Well, are you swinging east for any folk festivals? I work a whole bunch and
I am heading to Totonto for a contra dance weekend pretty soon. Old Songs,
in June, has quite a bit of Sacred Harp, F.I..
John
My direct email is johnboanerges@gmail.com
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