I
attend and strive to nourish this Quaker Meeting for various reasons, but the
most important one is to enlarge my capacity to share my limited perception,
and my incomplete and tentative understanding, of the Holy Spirit with other
people through love and compassion.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Monday, February 5, 2018
Pride and humility
One can learn very fast, accomplish very much, be very attractive, become very rich or famous and be proud.
But one must be humble to grow.
But one must be humble to grow.
Sometimes hysteria is appropriate.
Sometimes, hysteria - an intense, loud, spontaneous, genuine, undeniable, unassuageable reaction of anger, pain, horror or grief - is a wholly reasonable and appropriate response to something horrible.
What if a victim of, for example, a sexual assault or harassment, or blatant racism, complains truthfully and in detail to the appropriate authorities, refuses to be quiet, to be anonymous, to be intimidated, to accept a money settlement? The cost to the victim may be huge. But the contribution to past and future victims of such behavior who may be empowered by the sustained courage of one "hysterical" victim, and to a society based on truth, responsibility and compassion, in calling out such behavior seems at least as great.
At least, who can in good conscience discredit someone just because she or he is "hysterical?"
Who dares to say that someone showing an intense, loud, spontaneous, genuine reaction of anger, pain, horror or grief should not be taken seriously just because she or he will neither be denied nor quickly assuaged or comforted?
What if a victim of, for example, a sexual assault or harassment, or blatant racism, complains truthfully and in detail to the appropriate authorities, refuses to be quiet, to be anonymous, to be intimidated, to accept a money settlement? The cost to the victim may be huge. But the contribution to past and future victims of such behavior who may be empowered by the sustained courage of one "hysterical" victim, and to a society based on truth, responsibility and compassion, in calling out such behavior seems at least as great.
At least, who can in good conscience discredit someone just because she or he is "hysterical?"
Who dares to say that someone showing an intense, loud, spontaneous, genuine reaction of anger, pain, horror or grief should not be taken seriously just because she or he will neither be denied nor quickly assuaged or comforted?
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