George Lakey: The Quaker visionary impulse
“Not since the 1960s have I seen within the U.S. a greater need for, and opportunity to serve with, the Quaker visionary impulse.
The seventeenth century was another such time. William Penn was one of the most famous visionaries, proposing a parliament of nations for Europe, while Germantown Quakers proposed the abolition of slavery. The visionary impulse shows up again and again, famously with Lucretia Mott’s feminism in the tumultuous mid-nineteenth century and the AFSC’s Speak Truth to Power in the midst of mid-twentieth century Cold War fears.
Now we have a hugely polarized U.S., with the legitimacy of elective governance so shredded that millions leave the major political parties and millions more don’t bother to vote at all. Even some right-wingers routinely attack the economic elite who, according to the polls, join politicians at the bottom of public esteem…. The system is broken. Why not envision a better one?”
— George Lakey, 2016
Quaker activist leader
Reader Responses
What seed have you planted in the past that is now coming to fruit?
What seeds are you currently planting?
It is not so much that I planted a seed, but rather that I watered the seeds that others planted. I have recognized the importance of their leadings, listened, and encouraged them as I helped to make their seeds grow.
Currently, I am planting a seed in our meeting and quarter that we need to care for each other. We need to support young people trying to find their place in the world. We need to support young families in the care of their children. And we need to support the elderly as they face the challenges of the final part of their lives. We all have a Ministry to care for one another.
Dorothy G., Portland, ME, USA
As a Gen X-era Young Friend, the seeds I planted were tended to by a spiritual gardener from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting named Cookie Caldwell. He led our intrepid, awkward, creative, quirky group of both young Quakers and Quaker-adjacent teens with mindfulness, intentional care and unconditional support.
Last month, a small but mighty group of us held our first reunion gathering at Camp Onas in Ottsville, PA to rekindle and tend to those seeds of friendship we all planted circa 1989-1999 to reunite in a time of heaviness. Out of this long dormant garden, our Quaker values and friendships began to blossom again.
Sophy I., Wenonah, NJ, USA
Thirty-six years ago I had a baby boy. Now I am helping soothe my baby granddaughter as she is teething. Another seed, and I am so afraid for her and all children of the world she is going to have to grow up in.
Nathalie B., Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The seeds I've planted are the work I've been doing within myself, which includes taking real accountability for my choices and my mishandling of my actions. Not an easy task because you can't play the victim. The fruit that's blooming now is greater wisdom and empathy, but best of all, my ability to help others navigate the roads I've traveled.
Lee M.
This Week’s Messages
Parker Palmer on letting your life speak
Imagining a future Quaker universe
Are Quakers guarding our treasure too closely?
Navigating the conflicts that come from truth
It is not what you were, but what you are
The perpetual Now
Read the source of today’s quote
