We have felt the incongruity between our spiritual and physical lives, and
our sorrow at this dichotomy propels us to seek a life in which all parts of
our being are in harmony with the spirit. Our lives are caught in an
system/culture/society which exploits people and the planet, and leaves us
spiritually wanting. We yearn for community that is intimately dependent
on the earth, on our neighbors and our own self-reliance to provide our
basic needs, and allows us to see the consequences of our use of creation.
Right now, the stability of the systems that sustain all life on earth is in
jeopardy because of human activity through industrial society.
Truth as understood through the scientific method has revealed that
maintaining a recognizable civilization is not compatible with
systematically increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A
growing scientific consensus suggests that carbon concentrations above
approximately 350ppm pose catastrophic risk; human activity has already
pushed this concentration above 390ppm. The sooner this trend is
reversed, the more likely it is that our deepest hopes for peace, stable
community, equality and justice may be realized.
We know that we don’t have the answers of how to do all this, but we trust
our corporate understanding of the spirit to lead us. We know that we
must forgive ourselves for our complicity in this destructive system. We
know we must strengthen our ability to love and to build our community
to rise to this challenge. We hear the call to use our gifts in their diverse
forms to take concrete action, live lives of integrity, and know that we
cannot let this light be hidden under a bushel.
We believe Sessions in 2011 is an inflection point on this journey, and that
there is much work to do to prepare Friends in the coming months to make
Sessions productive.
We embark upon this journey with joy, knowing that we are not called to
be conformed to the world but rather to be transformed by the spirit; to be
a prophetic people to herald a new kingdom in this world. Already we
feel the fruits of the spirit bubbling through us as we begin this work. We
implore YAFs and others to take this message to their Monthly Meetings,
Quarterly Meetings, and lives.
updated March 14, 2012