Letters - 20 November 2015
Health through peace to power cuts
Health through peace
While an audience of over 700 in ‘the Light’ at Friends House last Friday, 13 November, were learning about the depth of greed and corruption behind the international arms trade, hundreds were being maimed and killed, in Paris and elsewhere, by the products of that trade.
Fear, global deprivation, denial of justice, and preservation of ‘the rich’ merely accelerate the fire of this roaring trade: but Friends, we must be brave and stay true to our testimony of denying all outward forms of fightings.
We have to respond to the proponents of revenge by emphasising that the growing spiral of violence can only be broken by peace and reconciliation, however hard these may be to achieve.
These are not naïve hopes: any progress will be difficult and bound occasionally to falter, but would, ultimately, lead to a more stable security than we have at present, making it more likely that humankind, in its amazing diversity, will survive in a truly meaningful way.
Frank Boulton
‘Our faith in the future’
Is something missing? I have just read the new – beautifully illustrated – leaflet and chapter 23 of Quaker faith & practice in quick succession – the latter as part of our re-reading Quaker faith & practice project. The new leaflet is fine as far as it goes but I felt something was missing. On re-reading chapter 23 I found it: the inspiration and challenge of the life and teaching of Jesus. That has been a recurrent source of strength and empowerment for Quakers over the centuries. Our witness for truth and justice is rooted there. May we not forget that!
David L Saunders
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