The
day has broken here and we have worshiped in
silence and have sat in discernment over the
issue the water and peace. Peace is to be
waged in many ways in many dimensions. Finding
the seeds of war within ourselves, discovering
them, isolating and removing (or at least
greatly weakening) them, is one of the ways to
describe the Lamb’s war of the earliest Quaker
days. There is standing in the way of active
violence or developing peaceful policies and
practices personally, socially, and
nationally. There is promoting equality. It is
hard to feel peaceful when you or your child
is starving or has cholera or is at great risk
to get seriously sick because of the lack of
potable water.
This is both personal, in that some of us do
not regularly have clean water to drink, and
social, in that we have a serious outbreak of
cholera in the city of Accra. As risky as
unfiltered rain water from the roof might be,
we are soon entering the dry season which make
finding safe water even more difficult. The
government has threatened water sachet sellers
with sanctions because sometimes this common
source of drinking water has been implicated
in spreading cholera.
The matter of water as a resource for humans
to drink, for wildlife, for farmers, for
industry, and for recreation is one of
increasing importance across our planet. We
have seen Haiti a few years ago suffer a
cholera epidemic after a hurricane, and enough
potable water remains a serious concern there.
The competing needs for water in
Palestine/Israel is one of the seeds of war in
that land. There are many poor persons in the
bankrupt city of Detroit, Michigan, USA, where
drinking water is being turned off (to save
money, of course). The Colorado River and the
Rio Grande no longer reach the sea before they
are dried up. The sacred waters of the Ganges
in India are so polluted that sickness is now
one of its main offers to people there. About
half of all fish species (and micro flora and
fauna) in our world’s waters have become
extinct within in the last several decades. We
could site many more examples. We have been
warned that the effects of climate change will
continue to cause the availability of safe
water to be a threat to billions of people.
Water is tied to peace making now and is
going to be more so in the future. If we want
to be peacemakers, developing sound policies
and practices, personally and socially, is a
powerful place to be present. It may be that
this Meeting is called to enter peacemaking in
this area. It may be that this Meeting is
called in another way. It seems we have been
called by Spirit to look within our Meeting
for how we may be peacemakers. Discernment is
our task. We ask Quakers around the world to
hold this issue of water and peace in the
light as we discern.
Brad Laird
Kigali, Rwanda
Today on World Quaker day I
think of my Quaker family in Johannesburg on
this rainy morning in Kigali, was unable to
attend meeting for worship this morning..I
send this words with love to you all #wqd
#sharinginministry
Siting .silent .still .waiting Eyes closed ears open My heart’s ready my mind’s prepared I sit and listen not to what is out there but
to what is within A verse is read, a hymn is sang and a
ministry is shared
My frown has been turned upright my face has
been transformed I feel peace I feel joy I even feel excited My morning has turned to light I am the salt
of this world I feel a little proud hope that’s not immoral
Sitting .silent .still .waiting I stretch my arm out wide and a hand shake is
what I receive I look next to me and a friendly face is what
receives mine I look to my left and a gracious smile is
what I see I look to my right and loving eyes is what
meets my gaze
Friends we gather in the light seeing that of
God in one another Seeing that of good in each other Seeing that of truth Friends we gather to smile with each other
and know that a gift of laughter can bring
peace to us all In my quest for peace I found friends In my quest for spiritual growth I found the
process
Sitting .silent .still .waiting In silence I listen to my inner being In a circle I see the truth, simplicity and
love Holding hands we share our diverse cultures
in unison Holding hands we transforming power Simplicity, integrity, equality, community
and peace is the space we choice to create
We are the seeds of this earth, the light of
this community, the salt of this world We sit in silence to listen to our inward
teacher We wait expectantly, we wait faithfully and
we wait meaningfully We wait for spiritual deepening, because that is the Quaker way…
