TheFreeQuaker

A Quaker into decentralization, permaculture, simplicity, peace. Exploring the world one step at a time. Seeker of truth, separating facts from fiction. Always curious, often wandering. Here to learn, listen and grow. Opinions are works-in-progress. Will walk long distances for good conversation.

Public Key

npub1kwdcaq7e9pluu0f9s7rdlj7sqscf37ty6rv7fl92k4nqcr3ezfts8enny4

NIP-05 Address

freequaker@getalby.com

Profile Code

nprofile1qqst8xuws0vjsl7w85jc0pkle0gqgvycl9jdpk0ylj4t2esvpcu3y4cpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsnmax75

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1kwdcaq7e9pluu0f9s7rdlj7sqscf37ty6rv7fl92k4nqcr3ezfts8enny4

Show more details

Last Notes

2025-08-10 21:41:38 UTC

The world is so full of doomsday prophets peddling fear--Second Coming, economic collapse, civil war, climate catastrophe.
Same old grift. Even Bitcoiners have that desperate gleam in their eyes, like gold bugs who discovered bash prompts.
I'd rather deal with today's mess than tomorrow's ghosts. Better to sharpen the skills that work anytime, any place: making friends across enemy lines, thinking clearly while helping others do the same, living simply, knowing what integrity really demands of us.

2025-08-08 18:46:43 UTC

SILENCE: The meeting house was quiet as a grave at midnight. Two dozen souls sat in wooden pews, waiting for the Spirit to move them. In this racket, silence was the only currency that mattered. And brother, it was worth more than all the world's noisy bars.

2025-08-08 01:38:30 UTC

This much is getting clear: AI serves those who already know how to think, dream, imagine. For those who can't—or won't—do the hard work of thinking, it becomes a crutch that weakens them further. I already feel the divide growing.

2025-08-08 01:07:09 UTC

The Quakers had blood on their hands before they found their conscience. It wasn't just guilt that cleaned the slate—it was Black resistance that showed them the way out of the dark alley they'd been walking down for 120 years.
I like the company of people who work at getting it right, even when they fumble. Next best thing to being perfect is knowing when you're a fool and doing something about it.
https://www.friendsjournal.org/black-resistance-to-quaker-enslavement/

2025-07-29 21:41:45 UTC

- reply

https://www.usip.org/press/2025/06/operating-status-united-states-institute-peace-june-2025

2025-06-02 19:07:23 UTC

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit created by Congress in 1984 to promote peaceful resolution of international conflicts through research, education, and direct peacebuilding support worldwide.
Faith communities created it, Trump wants to dismantle it.
https://religionnews.com/2025/05/23/as-us-institute-of-peace-is-ordered-reinstated-people-of-faith-must-support-it/

2025-06-02 18:59:40 UTC

https://blossom.primal.net/446e2e26de78dbef3117f28b24d1ac8bb71a2760649f49d2ee7ce68f2332cd8c.png

2025-06-02 18:13:55 UTC

- reply

https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/preparing-for-the-swarthmore-lecture-tracing-the-threads-of-quaker-community/

2025-06-02 18:13:43 UTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkGD_7dacGM

2025-05-29 21:02:25 UTC

- reply

The Bitcoin 2025 conference stage is drowning in shills and grifters. Real problems to solve, yet people obsess over NGU and kiss up to politicians. Without voices like @nprofile…zx3h and @nprofile…xncl keeping it real, I'd be gone. Bitcoin needs more elders.
#nevent1q…l8zl

2024-12-27 21:29:11 UTC

Henry Taylor
Poet from Lincoln, VA - "October 1984"
https://i.imgur.com/g3tqxNB.png
#Quaker

2024-12-27 17:53:09 UTC

"Building peace requires more than policy changes, it requires a culture shift."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9-f97P5cJI

2024-12-24 21:53:16 UTC

- reply

Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

2024-12-24 16:31:51 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/78cc0c15eeaa33298cf80ff0569a4fc3240c9779a31f723c42314d014fc7e103.jpg

2024-12-24 15:36:05 UTC

- reply

Mary's Song (The Magnificat)
Luke 1:46-55
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

2024-12-24 15:26:54 UTC

https://jollyquaker.com/2024/12/22/advent-reflections-week-4-the-god-bearer/

2024-12-07 13:00:33 UTC

Pretty straight forward...
https://image.nostr.build/353a73e14f3d329ad970e482440c4c49c34289ca46d760188db0dfc558acb187.jpg

2024-12-06 13:00:33 UTC

When I have some time free, I'd love to study this. Reminds me of case studies done by Thomas Greco.
https://www.mutualcredit.services/

2024-12-05 13:00:33 UTC

Biodiversity was a hallmark of human innovation until recently. Now we value efficiency over resilience. Here are 10 examples of how we too a big step backwards:
1. Corn: Thousands of traditional varieties reduced to a few hybrid types, with Yellow Dent dominating US commercial production.
2. Bananas: Over 300 traditional varieties, yet Cavendish represents ~47% of global production due to shipping durability.
3. Potatoes: 4,000+ native Peruvian varieties, while US commercial production relies primarily on Russet Burbank and a few others.
4. Apples: North American varieties declined from ~14,000 in 1800s to around 4,500 today, though many survive in heritage orchards.
5. Rice: Over 100,000 traditional varieties worldwide, with fewer than 30 varieties now comprising majority of global production.
6. Wheat: Vast genetic diversity reduced since Green Revolution, with most commercial production using a limited pool of semi-dwarf varieties.
7. Chickens: From hundreds of traditional breeds to industrial consolidation, with White Leghorns producing ~45% of global eggs.
8. Tomatoes: Several thousand heirloom varieties exist, but commercial production uses few varieties bred for shipping and uniformity.
9. Coffee: From diverse Ethiopian origins, global production now ~60% Arabica and ~40% Robusta, though many varieties persist locally.
10. Dairy Cows: Holstein-Friesian dominates global dairy, providing ~90% of US dairy production and spreading worldwide.

2024-12-03 13:00:33 UTC

Sunk cost bias: The more time and resources we've invested in something, the harder it becomes to objectively evaluate new information about it.

2024-12-02 13:00:33 UTC

Survivorship bias: We focus on visible successes while ignoring the more numerous failures that disappeared from view.

2024-12-01 13:00:33 UTC

Cash bias: We are wired to see within the framework of our economy, and we see what helps us make money.

2024-11-28 13:00:33 UTC

Conspiracy bias: When we feel shame, we are especially vulnerable to stories that cast us as victims of an evil conspiracy.

2024-11-27 13:00:33 UTC

Confidence bias: We prefer a confident lie to a hesitant truth.

2024-11-26 13:00:33 UTC

Competency bias: We prefer to think of ourselves as above average. We are incompetent at knowing how incompetent or competent we really are.

2024-11-25 13:00:33 UTC

Consciousness bias: We see from our location - our level of consciousness or cognitive maturity makes seeing some things possible and seeing other things impossible.

2024-11-23 13:00:33 UTC

Contact bias: If we lack contact with someone, we won't see what they see.

2024-11-22 13:00:33 UTC

Complementarity bias: When people are nice to us, we're open to what they see and have to say. When they aren't nice to us, we won't be.

2024-11-20 21:50:00 UTC

🔥 The Colonial Method Across the Whole World is Clear. 🔥
✍️ by Will Ruddick
1. Outlaw Indigenous Resource Coordination Systems.
Colonial powers systematically dismantled indigenous systems of resource sharing and collective governance. Practices like rotational labor, communal land stewardship, and pooling were criminalized and/or replaced with hierarchical systems in the name of "modernization" or "civilization." Often all this is justified in the name of 'protection'.
2. Introduce National Currency and Debt Slavery.
Indigenous economies, based on reciprocity and mutual support, were replaced with centralized monetary systems. Once free of chattel slavery, colonizers imposed taxation systems payable only in national currencies, forcing communities to abandon their self-sustaining practices and integrate into exploitative wage economies. Debt became a tool of subjugation.
3. Create Dependency on Money.
With indigenous systems eroded, communities became dependent on centralized monetary economies to access basic needs, creating cycles of dependency. Subsistence and pooled resource economies were stigmatized and pushed aside in favor of cash-driven markets dominated by colonial interests.
4. Erosion of Sovereignty.
Sovereignty—over land, resources, and decision-making—was stripped from communities. Land was privatized, and traditional governance systems were replaced by colonial administrations. Entire cultures were marginalized, and local knowledge was disregarded, creating a lasting power imbalance.
Connecting the Dots to Resist Colonial Patterns
Reclaim Resource Coordination Systems: Revive indigenous systems like commitment pooling, rotational labor, and land trusts to rebuild community sovereignty.
Preserve and Restore Land Sovereignty: Advocate for land rights, agroecology, and regenerative farming practices to empower communities to reclaim their connection to the land.
Every act of restoring communal systems, every seed bank, commitment pool, and every step toward sovereignty is an act of resistance. Let us unite local efforts into a global movement to challenge these enduring colonial legacies and co-create a resilient, decentralized future. 🌿
https://x.com/wor/status/1859132575064735961

2024-11-20 00:20:00 UTC

"Join Red Letter Christians this Advent for "Reflections from Bethlehem" - a 24 day devotion centering the voices of Palestinian Christians and their allies. Join us as we turn our eyes towards Bethlehem in this holy season.
Make sure you're getting RLC emails in order to join us:"
https://redletterchristians.org/newsletter-sign-up/
https://image.nostr.build/1c44ffd6fa8cdb94237732069202b77ef23b512335531eb709dc7678f0e02345.jpg

2024-11-19 23:07:39 UTC

A Nicaraguan dissident reveals how dictators weaponize financial systems to crush dissent—and how tools like Bitcoin offer hope.
"Some of us targeted by authoritarians and committed to transparency and accountability have turned to Bitcoin not to get rich or to push an anarchist love of currency free from state control. Instead, we are simply looking for an answer to the systematic exclusion that we face in repressive states."
~ Félix Maradiaga
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/how-dictators-use-financial-repression-against-their-opponents/

2024-11-11 22:42:15 UTC

Analyzing Bitcoin Consensus: Risks in Protocol Upgrades
(Ren Crypto Fish, Steve Lee, Lyn Alden)
Links to the PDF and Github repo 👇
https://www.lynalden.com/wp-content/uploads/bcap_v1.0.pdf
https://github.com/bitcoin-cap/bcap

2024-11-10 13:00:33 UTC

"Everybody goes around looking for a big answer to this big problem. But there is no big answer to any big problem. Never has been, never will be. The only answer to a big problem is a million, million little answers multiplied over and over time and again by the small steps that each of us is able to take as a man, a woman, a human being, living on our little patch of ground during our time on earth."
~ Wendell Berry

2024-11-03 13:00:33 UTC

There are so many overlaps with permaculture and Quaker testimonies:
Care for the earth = Stewardship Testimony
Care for people = Community Testimony
Fair share = Equity Testimony
#permaculture #quaker

2024-11-02 13:00:33 UTC

Don't expect privacy from governments or corporations. We must create our own systems to protect it.

2024-11-01 13:00:33 UTC

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An important story to be familiar with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2325_APzy6c

2024-10-29 13:00:33 UTC

From Grassroots Economics:
"Mweria is an ancient practice of the Mijikenda people of coastal Kenya, echoing the traditions of many Indigenous cultures globally. Known as a Rotating Labor Association, it revolves around mutual commitments to community support.
This participatory video (created by the community) explores their efforts to revive Mweria and restore grassroots economics of collaboration and shared responsibility."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49zgjjFukFQ

2024-10-25 13:00:33 UTC

Bitcoin isn't about getting rich quick. It's about fundamental societal change.

2024-10-23 13:00:33 UTC

Financial exclusion isn't just unfair, it's expensive. It traps billions in poverty.

2024-10-22 13:00:33 UTC

Money is a language we created to express value. Bitcoin is a new dialect.

2024-10-21 13:00:33 UTC

"You shouldn't. We will." - Andreas Antonopoulos, on providing financial services to those banks won't serve

2024-10-20 13:00:33 UTC

The unbanked aren't just statistics. They're real people, often women and children, excluded from the global economy.

2024-10-19 13:00:33 UTC

Financial freedom means the ability to transact freely, privately, and without censorship. For anyone, anywhere, anytime.

2024-10-18 13:00:33 UTC

Peace isn't just the absence of war. It's the presence of justice, including financial justice.

2024-10-17 13:00:33 UTC

Banks can freeze your accounts without authorization. Is that the kind of financial system we want?

2024-10-15 13:00:33 UTC

Consistency in principles isn't just ethical, it's practical. It's easier to remember and stand by what you truly believe.

2024-10-12 13:00:33 UTC

Universal basic finance: bringing financial services to those traditionally excluded from banking.

2024-10-11 13:00:33 UTC

Money isn't just a way to express value. It's also a system of control. Those who control money wield immense power.

2024-10-09 13:53:11 UTC

Is the US dollar the last thing Americans believe in?

2024-10-08 13:00:33 UTC

Friends, our #Quaker testimony of peace extends to the realm of politics. Let us seek ways to govern that do not rely on force or coercion.

2024-10-07 13:00:33 UTC

Let us not be entangled in the strife of parties. Our allegiance is to truth, not to factions or worldly ideologies.

2024-10-07 00:51:47 UTC

Found this yesterday. Still trying to figure out what it is.
https://image.nostr.build/8b5dd0d589ae024b265c84a5ea6d5932c1679e83f7483bc4728880edbe126886.jpg

2024-10-06 13:00:33 UTC

True governance comes not from presidents or kings or billionaires, but from heeding the Inner Light that guides all.

2024-10-05 13:00:33 UTC

To live free is to live in accordance with one's conscience, guided by the Inner Light, not by the dictates of mere humans.

2024-10-03 13:00:33 UTC

In silence, we find the voice of freedom. In stillness, we discover the strength to stand against tyranny.

2024-10-01 23:39:23 UTC

- reply

Thank you, Margot! 🙏🫂

2024-10-01 23:05:28 UTC

War is not the answer. 🕊️
https://image.nostr.build/a599f07ad5e8be3142095c9efd392c0b1402f5677821ecee59fa63f3513bdec7.png
#peace

2024-10-01 22:34:21 UTC

- reply

War is not the answer. 🕊️
#note1xqg…hezv

2024-10-01 22:25:56 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/6fb0f41870ff124bf76414397cccd10048bbc78c5839819b5f424d64b86b1e2e.jpg
#peace

2024-09-30 13:00:33 UTC

In Bitcoin, we find a pure and simple way to exchange value. It requires no earthly authority, only the consent of its users.

2024-09-29 17:13:00 UTC

Tomorrow at 7 PM on Zoom:
Book Club featuring Scot McKnight
"Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple"
Free registration required
https://redletterchristians.org/event/rlc-book-club-with-scot-mcknight/

2024-09-29 13:00:33 UTC

In days past, I was imprisoned by algorithms. But in Nostr, my thoughts and curiosity roam free, unchained from worldly powers.
#quakerstr

2024-09-28 13:00:33 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/f5674b55d0d933ee16792a96404d7d805f7c10c0b8bed2c98e5495e733ad007a.png
#poetry

2024-09-26 22:07:00 UTC

- reply

#TFQFavorites
#nevent1q…37rj

2024-09-26 13:00:33 UTC

- reply

2024-09-25 22:07:00 UTC

For widespread privacy, we need a social contract. People must work together to deploy these systems for the common good.
Privacy isn't just personal. It's a collective effort. The more people use privacy tech, the stronger our defenses become.
Adopting privacy tools is a form of solidarity. When you protect your data, you help protect everyone's.
Education is key. Teach others about privacy tools. Help your friends and family set up encrypted messaging.
Support privacy-focused projects, businesses, & developers. Contribute code, donate, or simply use and promote these tools.
Normalize privacy practices. Make using encryption and anonymity tools as common as locking your front door.
Privacy as a social norm benefits everyone. It protects whistleblowers, journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens alike.
The social contract for privacy: I'll respect your right to privacy, and you'll respect mine.
https://image.nostr.build/f235113e856a4adfa13b25dd703f46e17bbeef3f40bbdebacacc5e0fc0063f79.jpg

2024-09-24 20:45:29 UTC

- reply

The US needs to adopt strategies to deescalate Ukraine war.
1. Demand diplomatic strategy from Biden Admin
2. Increase restrictions on cluster munitions & other indiscriminate weapons
3. Boost funding for humanitarian aid & peacebuilding
4. Prioritize arms control in U.S. response
5. Support international institutions for diplomacy (UN, ICC...)
6. Strengthen oversight on military aid to prevent theft, diversion, misuse
Goal = Ceasefire, negotiations, comprehensive peace process

2024-09-24 01:01:49 UTC

- reply

"No sane person thinks violence is never justified." Plenty of sane people throughout history sacrificed their lives as a testimony to peace, many of them nameless martyrs. If only we had their courage today.
One thing is certain: All countries think their side in a war is justified.
Once weapons are drawn, only bad options remain. Victories on the battlefield are temporary at best.
(I believe we have a moral obligation to foster negotiations to end the war instead of adding more fuel to the fire.)

2024-09-23 23:34:09 UTC

My letter to my U.S. Representative asking them to cosponsor H.R. 9649 to restore UNRWA funding.
Dear Representative ABC,
I am writing to you as a concerned citizen and member of the Quaker faith community. My belief in peace, equality, and the inherent worth of every human being compels me to urge you to support the restoration of funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.
As a Quaker, I believe we are called to speak truth to power and to work towards alleviating suffering wherever we find it. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza deeply troubles me, as I believe it should trouble all who value human life and dignity. The prospect of famine and disease outbreaks in Gaza is not just a political issue, but a moral one that speaks to our shared humanity.
UNRWA serves as the primary source of aid for millions of Palestinians facing dire circumstances. While I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised about the agency, I believe that UNRWA has demonstrated a commitment to addressing these issues through immediate action and reform. The decision by many of our allies to resume funding to UNRWA after careful consideration should encourage us to do the same.
The Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship (SPICES) guide us to seek peaceful solutions and to care for those in need. By supporting the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act (H.R. 9649), we can take a significant step towards fulfilling these values and preventing further suffering.
I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 9649 and to advocate for its passage. This action would align with our nation's humanitarian principles and our moral obligation to help those in desperate need, regardless of political boundaries.
Thank you for your consideration of this crucial matter. I look forward to hearing about your stance on this issue and any actions you plan to take.
Sincerely,
TheFreeQuaker

2024-09-23 23:09:00 UTC

- reply

Oh man, I love picked beets.

2024-09-23 22:07:00 UTC

"The War Prayer" by Mark Twain
https://image.nostr.build/54d4830e16f42daf7eeff67ddc8b19f811ea2e484ff330bcc72ad5c73a8ed447.jpg
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and sputtering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spreads of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country and invoked the God of Battles, beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpouring of fervid eloquence which moved every listener.
It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came-next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their faces alight with material dreams-visions of a stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender!-then home from the war, bronzed heros, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation -- "God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest, Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!"
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was that an ever--merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory -
https://image.nostr.build/810192ce50f2dbb274b26c2753fe742d7fbc50fe7cd3307baf1bc2d74e5a2e14.jpg
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there, waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal,"Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said
"I come from the Throne-bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd and grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import-that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of-except he pause and think. "God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of His Who hearth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this-keep it in mind. If you beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it. "You have heard your servant's prayer-the uttered part of it. I am commissioned by God to put into words the other part of it-that part which the pastor, and also you in your hearts, fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory-must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle-be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it-for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
https://image.nostr.build/dd0a7be5db79d2f2885ffb7f229519c28bb3d6a4ed37df9e4ae55702ea8d17ad.jpg
(After a pause)
"Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits."
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

2024-09-23 15:16:19 UTC

- reply

Yep, I'm an actual Quaker. I agree conscientiousness is a hallmark of Quakers, online and IRL, but it needs to be continuously worked at . I'm a member of an unprogrammed meeting. Quakerism split a couple times in the 1800s, some folks went along more mainstream evangelical lines, others didn't (the liberal, unprogrammed). So we don't have a minister-- or put another way, everyone is a minister. It's interesting to see how things get done when no one's in charge.
My meeting says "meeting" or "meeting house", not church. But I've never met anyone who got sensitive over the term. When I'm talking with folks who aren't familiar with Quakerism, I say "church."

2024-09-23 13:00:33 UTC

“Worship is our response to an awareness of God. We can worship alone, but when we join with others in expectant waiting we may discover a deeper sense of God’s presence. We seek a gathered stillness in our meetings for worship so that all may feel the power of God’s love drawing us together and leading us.”
(Britain Yearly Meeting, Advices & Queries #8)
https://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/1/
#quaker

2024-09-22 17:10:28 UTC

- reply

I agree. The challenge is a lot of folks aren't all that reflective and tend to ignore the feedback they need. If a person tends to self-censor too much, they need counsel to speak up more, even if it may offend. If a person tends to speak too much, they need counsel to shut up and listen more. If a person tends to speak too obliquely, then need counsel to speak plainly. If a person tends to speak harshly, they need counsel to speak kindly.
Mostly we all need more practice, reflection, and feedback from people who care about us.

2024-09-21 22:07:18 UTC

- reply

I've heard Quakers add a fourth: "Does it improve the silence?"

2024-09-21 22:06:33 UTC

- reply

Not everything we think needs to be said. If everyone paused a moment before posted, the world would be a better place. Rumi, the Sufi poet, offered these thoughts:
Before you speak, let your words pass through three gatesAt the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?”At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?”At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”~ Rumi

2024-09-20 22:07:00 UTC

- reply

The world is a complicated place. People are even more so.
#nevent1q…5d2z
Adding this to my #TFQFavorites.

2024-09-17 22:15:07 UTC

- reply

I love this train of thought. 💯 I'd add two-income households to the list. They take away important time that one spouse could devote to important work in the community. I coordinate Sunday School in my church (and teach most Sundays), but I also have a full time job. Plus I volunteer on a couple other Town committees ... and I have my family. Balancing these responsibilities requires constant vigilance against burnout.
This may explain why it seems like most of the volunteers these days are retired folks.

2024-09-17 21:48:14 UTC

- reply

Auditing makes sense. Unfortunately, trust is involved there, too. But at the end of the day, not much happens in the world without trusting someone somewhere along the way.

2024-09-17 02:15:37 UTC

- reply

The thing is VPNs can be another vector for surveillance. How is the trust factor with VPN providers handled?

2024-09-17 01:21:38 UTC

- reply

Your work is truly inspiring. I've enjoyed your interviews and value having you here on nostr. Winning people over, for me, is often a long-term process, not a single conversation. Sometimes it takes planting a thousand seeds before one takes root in a person. Wishing you the best!

2024-08-30 21:46:00 UTC

- reply

Now on my #TFQFavorites list
#nevent1q…8mpe

2024-08-29 22:07:00 UTC

- reply

Now on my #TFQFavorites list
#nevent1q…9epl

2024-08-29 20:06:25 UTC

- reply

I've never thought of suburbia as a utopia. Thinking more about it, while it all seemed to start as a kind of safety through conformity (or predictability), the suburbs I know feel a lot about control. People seek HOA enforcement to maintain property values, complaining about their neighbor planting an unapproved tree, etc. Some folks love having an authority to appeal to and are willing to enforce the rules at the expense of community.
I live in a small town with surrounding suburban developments. In-town residents have to resolve issues directly with neighbors because the Town's policies are hands-off compared to the HOAs. Folks in HOAs often complain to the board without speaking to their neighbor first. I've heard a lot of folks over the years complain about others complaining.
In-town folks generally welcome teenagers hanging out, while in the developments, some folks like to track teens' movements on the Facebook community page, with comments like, "they look like they're up to no good."
It's not that everyone in an HOA is awful, but there's a higher percentage of entitlement combined with the opportunity to enforce the entitlement.
I'll need to ask folks if they had an expectation of utopia when they moved there. I'm very curious.

2024-08-28 18:39:09 UTC

- reply

I find the subject of human sexuality nuanced and complex. You find it black-and-white. From what I can tell, that's the disagreement ...
I wish you well.

2024-08-28 18:29:26 UTC

- reply

I guess I should assume you misunderstand the quote you provided. "With such a blind and naïve moralising approach, the whole vast storehouse of spiritual culture is devastated and its treasures detonated..."
So you're anti-LGBTQ. You're kinda, sorta referencing the Bible in a simplistic, moralizing way. You're condemning people to hell, as if it's your call. And you're asking me to explain you to you. 🤷‍♂️
For me, the story of Sodom is about inhospitality, not homosexuality.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 - "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."
Any doubts are clarified from the New Testament and the example of Jesus, how he walked in this world and treated others.

2024-08-28 18:13:44 UTC

- reply

Still not following you. Why are you asking me to explain your point, rather than clearly stating your own position?

2024-08-28 17:48:49 UTC

Starting a thread to better understand someone...

2024-08-28 15:03:56 UTC

- reply

Shutting down Telegram feels like cops showing off seized drugs. All for show, really.
We've been slow and steady introducing our teen to the internet and smartphones. Still pretty locked down, but it lets us keep having those important discussions. It's not easy, but she admits she's not dealing with the same issues as her friends. She feels more in control. Funny enough, I'd say she's got more freedom because of it.

2024-08-28 14:51:46 UTC

- reply

Where people tend to live, but not work.
Neighborhoods full of houses, but lacking community.
Sprawl without a center. No town square to gather around.
Designed for cars and lawns, not for human interaction.
Miles of houses, but nowhere to walk to.

2024-08-27 22:07:00 UTC

- reply

Now on my #TFQFavorites list
#note1mnt…qtft

2024-08-17 12:53:38 UTC

- reply

(One of my NVC classmates shared that their workplace implemented NVC training for all staff. Surprisingly, he described it as the most toxic environment he'd ever experienced, rife with passive-aggressiveness.
I've noticed a similar pattern when encountering NVC language from those deeply immersed in woke politics. No inner work. Just another way to get what you want.)

2024-08-08 14:07:00 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/27bfaddc42ddb078d8f985c28a6d50d57cb50f8a8cf76a79cb627c3e1ed34f25.png
#Quaker

2024-08-08 13:00:33 UTC

Governments claim expertise on the economy, but their policies widen inequality. Bitcoin returns control to the people.

2024-08-05 21:25:24 UTC

- reply

I agree. The energy behind NGU is what really matters to me. Seeing someone all hyped up about the price just makes me feel bad for them. I ran a Bitcoin meetup through a couple bull/bear cycles. Actually started it because I didn't know how to handle those feelings in my first bull run. Lucky for me, this one guy showed up to snap me out of it. Everyone else was "to the moon" though. Their vibe made me feel sick. And man, did they sure did have it rough when the bears came around.
NGU without adoption is hollow.
NGU with adoption is the tide that raises all boats.

2024-07-27 00:21:00 UTC

It's folks like Andreas Antonopolous and @npub1trr…hdpu who got me into Bitcoin and keep me in Bitcoin. The space is so noisy with grifters, influencers, doomsdayers, ngu, btfd, moon. But there are also a lot of people humbly walking the path of truth and genuinely helping others along the way. Here's to humanitarians, cypherpunks, privacy advocates, artists, philosophers, dreamers, pragmatists, disruptors, innovators, activists, free speech advocates, node operators, community builders, teachers, and anons.
https://image.nostr.build/56dbe3ea559c004d8d868101de23b6adcb0c450c416056eac49c1e8de249ab65.png

2024-04-12 00:45:50 UTC

"Do not meddle in political parties or matters, but seek for the truth and righteousness of the Lord to be established in the earth."
- Stephen Grellet, French-American Quaker missionary

2023-12-27 02:19:34 UTC

- reply

Kendrick Lamar

2023-12-22 15:34:54 UTC

- reply

"The pure Spirit of Christ directs to meekness, gentleness, and love amongst all people; and those who live in this Spirit are taught to love their enemies, and to be kind to them that hate them." ~ John Woolman, #Quaker

2023-12-22 15:26:04 UTC

Jesus
Sermon on the Mount, "The Beatitudes "
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
~ Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV)