I was at the resistance & resilience conference at Powell House this past weekend and here’s what I’m noticing…

The world is a carnival. Or maybe a casino; where the gamblers and the dealers (you can insert Congress, the Judiciary and the Executive branch here) bet on everything.  In 1540 it was the time being "in the flesh" before Lent.  Carne is Latin for meat. Lent was a time of fasting and return to spiritual matters.  

A song comes to mind by Natalie Merchant which I think captures perfectly our present political climate — CARNIVAL 
https://youtu.be/VQ_Wqtnlv4U?si=1-DUYxXbMPhVyCZ5

The lyrics 
Have I been blind, have I been lost
Inside myself and my own mind
Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen
Have I been wrong, have I been wise
To shut my eyes and play along
Hypnotized, paralyzed by what my eyes have found
By what my eyes have seen
What they have seen?

As I look back on the circus, the carnival and the chaos of the last 10 years I am in a state of wonder— what’s it all for? 
Of course, that environment is ripe for bait & switch, swindling and graft & corruption. 
Haven’t we been hypnotized by it? Dazzled by the spectacle? 

In my way of thinking it might be time to walk out of the circus tent. Lending our time, attention & energy to anything that lacks integrity is not only a waste of time, but it is also a theft from a future that holds more promise.  The circus grabs our attention but steals our spiritual focus away from the things that Spirit is calling us to do. 
WHAT IS THAT WORK? 

• In the realm of SERVICE: it could be caring for those who need nurturing and spiritual guidance.
• In the realm of INTEGRITY: it could be doing the work of transparency where there is just opacity.  I'm talking about our civic life here. 
• In the realm of EQUALITY: it could be creating and standing for a world that works for everyone (not just the few, the moneyed or the well connected) 
• In the realm of PEACE: it might look like actually being a demand for justice and putting an end to killing our brothers
• In the realm of COMMUNITY: it might look like inclusivity ... bringing everyone along. 

My hope is that we are now entering the period of backlash where we've seen enough of the circus.  Where we are really ready to see it pack up and leave town and roll up our sleeves and get down to the real work (not the performative politics) of building a lasting intergenerational society that is far more than something purely transactional.  A time where we turn our hearts and minds toward each other and do the most powerful thing we can do ... face one another and ignore the fire breathers. 
​
~ Joseph 

This question was posed to me by a friend.  I never imagined an angel would want anything from humans.  Why?  Were they not assigned by God to be our protectors, benefactors and guides? What duty, if ;any , do we have to them?   

As usual, I turned to the good book to see what I could discover.  Of course I knew about the first angel to visit humans in the Garden -- Lucifer, angel of light and a fallen angel, tempts humans with the apple from the tree of knowledge. A story of pride and prejudice against the authority of God.  But what did Lucifer want? Genesis tells us to separate them from God and usurp their dominion over the earth. They were fooled and they were cast out. 

Later in Genesis Jacob wrestles with an angel desperate to receive a blessing before seeing his brother Esau. The angel injures him leaving him with a permanent limp as a reminder of his faith in God. What did this angel want?  To true up Jacob to his faith?  True him up to himself? 

There are many other instances of angelic encounters (about a dozen or so) but the one that really speaks to me is Lucifer tempting Christ when he was in the desert for 40 days.   Tempting him with food, and power and asking him to test God. We know that Christ is not tempted.  What did Lucifer want this time? He wanted Christ to abandon his mission of salvation and worship Lucifer instead.  

So what do the angels want?  The fallen angels want power for sure, but if we pull back the lens even farther we could say that the angels are asking humans to discern for themselves what is good and right and just by having them check in with themselves.  

• wait before eating the apple
• check in an find your faith
• remember your calling. 

The Quaker idea of discernment is the practice of listening for and aligning with the "Inner Light" (the voice of God or the Divine) to make decisions. Rather than relying solely on human logic, majority votes, or intellectual debate, Quakers view discernment as a deeply spiritual process of uncovering truth together in stillness. 

Could the Angels be asking this of us? Why not?  We are down here on earth really making a mess of things.  A little discernment would go a long way.

~ Joseph Olejak

When I consider the ways my country has deeply offended my spiritual values I think back to the firebombing of Dresden, the dropping of the atomic weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, getting in a "war" in Vietnam under false pretenses (Gulf of Tonkin lie), attacking Iraq under false pretenses (the Colin Powell yellow cake uranium lie) and the idiotic notion that we could defeat Afghanistan (a country nicknamed the graveyard of empires -- Britain, Russia and now the US are on that list).  And then there is the war with Iran (or is it an excursion, a skirmish, or a love tap).  

However, while these acts violated international law and the rules of war, and basic human dignity, the place we are heading is far darker. A few years back Leigh Strimbeck shared a one woman play at the Meeting house about the emotional toll it took on drone pilots (operating from cubicles in the Nevada desert) to kill from afar.  At the time many Quakers felt this was a kind of killing that was far too easy.  More like a video game than actual warfare. 

Where we are going is the elimination of the messy work of killing.  is the world of AI directed autonomous weapons.  And yes, you guessed it, Uncle Sam is at the forefront of it.   

It's called Project Maven. AKA Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team and abbreviated AWCFT

Project Maven is a United States Department of Defense initiative launched in 2017 to accelerate the adoption of machine learning and data integration across U.S. military intelligence workflows, specifically in intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance as well as in geospatial intelligence. (now you know why we have a 5th branch of the military aka Space Force) 

It initially focused on applying computer vision for processing images and videos for intelligence purposes. Currently, the program operates under the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and encompasses multiple applications across the Department of Defense spanning military operation targeting support, data integration and visualization for analysts, and training machine learning models on labeled datasets of military assets and infrastructure. It integrates data from drones, satellites, and other sensors to flag potential targets, present findings to human analysts, and relay their decisions to operational systems.

The program originated under Deputy Secretary Robert O. Work after he raised concerns about China's advances in defense applications of artificial intelligence. Project leaders, Colonel Drew Cukor, USMC, and Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, framed the program as human-in-the-loop decision support inside the Department of Defense rather than as an autonomous weapons platform.

The notion of a "human in the loop" is a lie.  Sec of Defense Hegseth as recently designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk" because the company would not agree to allow their AI, Claude, to be used for so called "unrestricted use" which is another way of saying the technology specifically targets the removal of corporate guardrails that prevent AI from being used in fully autonomous lethal operations—essentially systems that can "kill without a human in the loop".

And what, do you ask, is all this AI going to cost?  Estimates range from 1 billion to 1.3 billion.  And who is getting that money?  Amazon web services, Google, Open AI, Palentir, Microsoft, SpaceX, and Anduril plus a bunch of others you've never heard of (on purpose). 

There are many who seem to think that AI will be a benevolent force for good in the world.  To that I say we have a Nobel Peace Prize that is funded on the backs of millions of souls killed by dynamite.  One person is chosen for a peace prize at the same time many thousands are killed.  There is an argument to be made for human control over this stuff, but realistically it won't happen.  The US is now in a digital arms race with other countries.  And while Iran's autonomous drones are slow and can be shot down by US fighter pilots, that will not be the case for long.  

WE NEED AN INTERNATIONAL MORATORIUM ON AUTONOMOUS LETHAL DRONES YESTERDAY
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE NOW: 

• complain to your state and federal representative that you don't want killer drones 
• stop supporting companies that build this tech or the ones that process the data
• stop allowing half of your tax dollars to be drafted into an increasingly intrusive war machine. 

The other consideration we have to think about is that these weapons will eventually make their way into US policing. Consider S.W.A.T teams and the use of military hardware in their operations. We already have Flock Surveillance Cameras in Troy, Valatie, Philmont and Hudson.  That State Trooper behind you is using a plate reader and knows everything about the car and the driver before the lights go on.  

But even given all the intrusive, invasive and wholly unconstitutional work of Project Maven (and out local towns) ... at least the robots are cute ): 

~Joseph Olejak

In Romans 13:8-10, Paul teaches that loving one's neighbor is the fulfillment of the law, as true love acts in the best interest of others and does no harm. By loving others, a person naturally fulfills the core requirements of God’s law, such as the Sermon on the Mount, which can be summarized as loving one's neighbor as oneself.

It is so easy to vilify one guy (such as the current occupant of the white house) and everybody chants and gets their blood up while waving signs, but then what?  

When does the real work begin? 

People must understand that the real problem is not one opportunistic parasite who has figured out how to game the system and hoodwink millions of people, but that we are in the end stage of empire where greed and solipsism are the real kings.  It's not one man or one party or a group of oligarchs.  It's that a majority of humans have forgotten that human connections and the deep ties of community are the real malady we face. 

MAGA, Trumpianism, The death cult of war, The Democratic party failing to stand up for basic rights and all forms of "othering" are merely a symptom of a much deeper spiritual malady related to Paul's word to the Romans. 

We see absolutely crazy stuff and think: "Wow, look at that technology" when we really should be thinking "Interesting how the Oligarchs have dazzled us with shiny objects and succeeded in separating us from one another."  A few examples: 

• Melania walking with a robot advocating for robots to teach our kids.  Do we really think having a machine devoid of any feeling is going to raise up children into adults with any compassion?  REALLY?  Look at how iPhones, tablets and social media have destroyed the social fabric and our kids. 
• Obama spent years using reaper drones killing people all over the globe (including killing Americans) and we get upset when other countries use similar assassination tactics? 
• GW Bush and Dick Cheney made rendition (aka kidnapping), torture and detention without trial American policy. 
• Biden spent billions arming Israel (as did every president before and after him) knowing that there was a genocide going on.  
• And ad infinitum back as far as you can remember. 

These are but a few examples.  There are many others. 

The point is Christ did not advocate for participation in any of it.  For him the Romans that occupied Palestine and the Ecclesiastical government of the Pharisees was total rubbish.  He advocated for spiritual transformation over religious or political reform. He knew politics was the business of "strange bedfellows"   He was a drop out. And what a great example of how to drop out and create something beautiful.

The greatest way to undermine corrupt political systems is the make them irrelevant.  

• Build community
• Know your neighbors
• Create networks 
• Share ideas
• Help others 
• Create resilience 
• Liberate your Mind (psychological sovereignty) 
• Create deep lifelong relationships 
• Support local initiatives with your resources

At the end of the day what matters is not whether FEMA is being funded (it is not) or if some other alphabet agency is doing its job (it is not).  What matters is who you know and who you can count on when stuff gets real.  And it is getting realer and realer by the day.   

The love of God in us and working through us is our salvation 

~ Joseph Olejak

We Quakers have a peace testimony that dates back to the Declaration of 1660 and which reads as follows:

The 1660 Declaration of "harmless and innocent people of God, called Quakers" was a pivotal document presented to King Charles II to distance Quakers from violent political plots and affirm their unwavering commitment to nonviolence, or the Peace Testimony. It famously declared the refusal to use "outward weapons" for any reason, establishing the foundation of Quaker pacifism.

In the news this week we heard from the head of the newly named Dept of War
"War, in this context and in pursuit of peace, is necessary,” Hegseth said, “which is why each day, on bended knee, we continue to appeal to heaven. To Almighty God’s providence, to watch over and give special skill and confidence to our leaders and to our warriors. To those warriors, who this nation prays for every single day, I hear from all of you out there, who pray for them every day, stay on bended knee, and pray for them. I continue to say to them, Godspeed, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and keep going.”

Let me just say that the notion of "Almighty God's Providence" shining down on one group and not another is absolute rubbish.  To invoke the name of God to send death and destruction to a particular group is 100% anathema to the teachings of Christ.  It is the same lie that has always be promulgated; namely the redemptive power of destruction or peace through war.  The truth is war begets war begets more war and ad infinitum. 


We must remember that this military operation in Iran is (as they always are) a death cult for the accumulation of land and treasure.  Americans will be asked to sacrifice their sons and daughters on the altar of this cult.  And 13 already have.  They will be told it is for GOD AND COUNTRY as the commander in chief wears his golf cap to the tarmac as the dead are removed from a C130.  

It is for the oligarchs.  (always was and always will be) 

George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), is most famous for his "Quaker "Peace Testimony". He consistently argued that war and strife arise from "lusts" and a "fallen" human state, but can be overcome by living in the "Light" and "Spirit of Christ".

In the words of Christ: His teachings on peace emphasize that it is not merely the absence of conflict but a divine, internal state of wholeness (Shalom) that enables reconciliation with others. Unlike the "temporary lull in chaos" often provided by worldly solutions, the peace of Christ is described as a gift that transcends external circumstances. 

In the Spirit of Christ, Let us focus on Peace.  

~ Joseph OLejak

There weren't any violins in the 1st century. However, most contemporary sources describe Nero as tyrannical, self-indulgent, and debauched. The historian Tacitus claims the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt. Suetonius tells that many Romans believed the Great Fire of Rome was instigated by Nero to clear land for his planned "Golden House".

Sound familiar? 

The phrase "fiddling while Rome burns" is a common idiom used to criticize leaders for occupying themselves with trivial matters or being ineffectual during a major crisis.  

We are living that reality now.

In Need to Know, David Rothkopf today called out the madness of the fact world trade and global security is being shattered by a single man. “Not since Adolf Hitler blew his brains out in a bunker beneath the garden of the German Reich Chancellery on April 30, 1945, have the lives of so many people around the world been so buffeted by the psychosis of a single man.”

Why has Trump launched a war against Iran on a whim, attacked other countries, and upended world trade, Rothkopf asked. “Because he’s insane. Because he’s venal. Because he’s a malignant narcissist. Because he’s a sociopath. Because he has a fragile ego. Because those around him exacerbate and play to those traits to advance their own interests. Because CEOs and investors do likewise to fill their coffers. Because to some people, whether he is insane or malevolent or repugnant or not matters less than whether his actions will feather their nests, increase their power.

“Because they, the billionaires…play their games and the consequences for the little people down below, the consequences for us, hardly matter a whit.”

Quakers tend to be serious people.  We have compassion and make room for mistakes, but we also have very little patience for liars, grifters and vacuous self-absorbed people who relish hurting others. 

Each time I look at the catastrophes playing out in the world I play a little game with myself and try to imagine what things would be like if I applied a Quaker value to the situation.  So, let's play:

• War with Iran: (Quaker value peace) This war is a war of ego.  The current occupant thinks he's going to be the one to provide a "solution" through the use of force. Does that ever work?  In any situation?  Generally what happens is more chaos. 
  • This war would have been a non-starter with a Quaker at the helm. 
• Immigration: (Quaker value Equality) We can't have open borders, but there is a lot that can be done between open borders and ICE shooting innocent American protestors in the streets of Minneapolis to make an immigration system functional. 
  • We would have a sane immigration policy with a Quaker at the helm. Reasonable quotas for entry and a path to citizenship for those that are here. 
• Removing SNAP Benefits (Quaker value Community) Do we really want to be that hard hearted, nasty, stingy Grinch that takes food from the mouths of children?  I know most Americans don't think this way.  I just hope they vote in November. 
  • That would never have happened with a Quaker at the helm.
• Lying (Quaker value Integrity) Most Americans probably can no longer tell the difference between the truth and lies anymore.  This current office holder has normalized the LIE so much that people no longer can understand the truth even when they hear it. Have we received a straight answer on the Epstein Files yet?  
  • Nope, Quakers don't lie. Not part of our DNA.
• Self-Dealing (Quaker value Transparency) One thing we have witnessed is the extreme graft and corruption in government since Citizens United was passed in 2010. Legislation is now for sale to the highest bidder.  There is no civic reason for anything any more.  You want another endless war? Sure thing, just do business with my crypto company (guess who owns World Liberty Financial) and you know who will get 10% of all those transactions and you have a backdoor system of bribery.
  • Transparency means everyone knows everything.  No hidden money. No hidden agendas. It's all open.  Everyone gets to weigh in. As it should be. 

Why play this silly game?  Because in most other systems of government the people are not the sovereign. They are literally peons. Subjects.  Our system begins with "WE THE PEOPLE" and ends with  "...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States". These words are located at the end of Article II, Section 1, which details the Presidential Oath of office. 

Here is one last Quaker value ... SERVICE ... (AKA ACTION) In WWI Quakers manned the ambulance corp.  In our context today it may mean putting on your boots and getting out into the streets and doing what is necessary to hang on to our way of life. Let us not be fooled and let us not forget that even Christ went into the temple and tossed out the money changers!

~ Joseph Olejak

Heather Cox Richardson, in her blog Letters From An American, has cited "Alison Durkee of Forbes magazine today that Trump’s military strikes in Iran have already cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1 billion. The three F-15E Eagle jets lost to friendly fire on Sunday cost $90 million each. Transporting troops, ships, and aircraft to the Middle East cost about $630 million. Missiles and weapons systems are also expensive—a drone is about $35,000, and a Tomahawk missile costs millions—and the two aircraft carriers in the region together cost at least $13 million a day. And then there are the costs of operating aircraft, and so on."

If Americans want to know why their infrastructure is failing, why the cost of electricity is through the roof, why we don't offer our young people free college, and why healthcare is a luxury and not a right --- THIS IS YOUR ANSWER.

Billions for the military and crumbs for everything else.  

People should be highly offended by this and not just because of the gross expenditure of money, but also because of the wanton destruction of human life.

The Quaker peace testimony is based not only on the teachings of Christ to love thy neighbor, but also is rooted in non-coercion (Phillip Gulley). Coercion, in its many forms, is the root of violence. "Do what I want you to do or else!"  People are manipulated with every manner of coercion from threats of violence to violence itself.  

We have normalized it. We accept it. We have enshrined it.

What? Enshrined it?  Surely not?

Who has the right to fine, tax, imprison and kill -- all enforced with the threat of violence or actual violence? And able to do these things with immunity from consequence?  Yes, the state.  Enshrined in law. Americans have given a monopoly on the right to use violence to the state.  And when we see it in action (whether it be suffocating George Floyd with a policeman's knee, Shooting non-violent protesters in Minn, or starting foreign wars) we are shocked.  

What we need to understand is that the rot runs deep in human culture. It is not an American phenomenon.  It lies just below the surface in all of us. 

So what is the antidote to coercion and violence?  

To answer this just imagine the last conversation you were engaged in. The one where you were just waiting for an opening in the dialog to put your 2 cents in.  That kind of communication, a discussion (a dis-cut-tion), where there is zero listening, a lack of consideration, and no discernment of what is going on.  This is the root of coercion.  It starts there and escalates.  

Witness the recent so-called "diplomacy" with Iran.  Two sides sit down at a table to work out differences in foreign policy and one side has half its navy amassed in the Mediterranean and Red Sea threatening to unleash an "epic fury" if they don't get what they want.  

Is that diplomacy?

Sounds like coercion to me!   

Expectant listening is the practice of having no agenda.  No demands. It is the kind of listening that leads to discovery.  Something that surprises you.  Something that might actually have you change your mind. Something you could hear that might alter what you were "absolutely sure of." 

Expectant waiting is not merely psychological sovereignty over knee jerk reactions, but at its best is two (or many) gathered as one willing and open to discover what can arise from nothing.  

~ Joseph Olejak