Recently OPJ considered a video from Quaker Earthcare Witness found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyQZqM_ewZE&t=1s from which we learned that even so-called socially conscious investing platforms are doing quite a bit of harm to people and the planet.  

In meeting today, I was thinking about this question: "how can I conscript money to God's purposes?"  I already am very clear about not having money conscripted for war, but what about making money by doing nothing? I'm talking about the stock market, bond market, insurance schemes, etc.  When we invest in these systems that support extractive technologies, digital technologies and even war technologies and then conveniently forget that our relationship to money requires integrity -- we enter into cognitive dissonance by pretending this relationship doesn't matter. 

When Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple (Mathew 21:13) declaring “My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are making it “a den of robbers.”  What I think he was pointing to is the idea that we cannot separate what we do with money from worship.  How can we separate spiritual devotion from commercial profit?  He objected to the money changers making money from nothing as they changed Roman coins (that hailed Caesar to be descended from god)  to the shekels the Pharisees decreed were not objectionable in the temple. (even though ironically the shekel had the image of Melqart, a pagan god, on them)   

Our meeting is invested in Friends Fiduciary, an organization which as 800M invested, only 6% of which are so-called "green funds."  The Quaker Growth and Income Fund has 660M invested in the top 10 companies in the world.  How is this spirit led?  Are we, in OCMM, following our leadings in the realm of money? Is there a way we can make ethical investments? 

I'd like to offer a modest proposal to this investment trap.  The trap I refer to is the one we fall into when we believe our money needs to make money in financial markets. 

Here are some queries to consider: 

• Why are we not investing OCMM money into our community? 
  • loan small sums to people in Columbia county -- microloans in third world countries have been fabulously successful
  •  
• Why not start a non-profit that makes things (like the Shakers)? 
  • We could employ people in specific industries that are profitable (such as solar installations for example) or the making of a specific product (like a fan -- the global ceiling fan market is 11.8B in 2023) or consumables that people need every day (like salad)  

• Some will say "But what about the risk of starting an entrepreneurial venture?"  To that I say that history has shown that stock markets crash and people lose money in the stock market all the time. 
• Some say "But that is work.  Who is going to manage a new business?"   I don't think laziness is a good excuse for operating with integrity. This is an employment opportunity for Quakers and to teach Quaker values. 

As the world gets turned on its axis by AI, we might consider how our dollars are participating in things we consider "evil" or "out of integrity with our values."  Use whatever term you will. 

These values of peace, privacy, taking care of our home, equality, honest work for an honest wage, etc are not supported by investments in surveillance, war, AI, fossil fuel extractors, financial companies etc, etc.  Please fill in the blank __________________. 

It is no secret that I am engaged in standing up a TRUE GUILD in Northern Columbia County. I started this initiative over a year ago because I saw a world changing in ways that is not good for humans. The guild initiative is just one way we Quakers can put our money where our values are.  

On a more personal note, the mortgage to my home is held by a Quaker.  That feels good.  I was the beneficiary of Quaker values in action when I took a stand for peace.  We can do that for our community and why not? 

WHAT STAND ARE WE COLLECTIVELY WILLING TO MAKE?    

~ Joseph Olejak

​When Quakers talk about making a formal statement of conscience, as they might when they stand aside from war and stand up for peace, it is often talked about in legal terms.  The words "formal statement of conscience." feel cold and devoid of emotion to me.  

But what is conscience? What happens to us when we are moved? Do we not shake and emote?  Writing down how we are powerfully taken by Spirit to a place of surety is a full body experience.   Hence the term "spiritual affidavit."  That statement is not an afterthought on another message or a not-fully-formed spiritual message. Oh no, it is full-on knowing.  

I AM FIRMLY FOR PEACE

With the new law on Selective Service Registration coming soon (DEC 2026) we Quakers are poised perfectly to offer guidance on taking the spiritual message of conscientious objection to war and guiding people to turn that into a spiritual affidavit. 

Believe it or not, there are actual steps to the writing process and while they do adhere to the legal milestones that a statement of conscience requires there is also a way to bring that Message alive for the reader.  And we want that, don't we?  Are we not called to Witness?  Besides being a committed, active way of living that rejects violence, refuses participation in war, and promotes peace it is also a way of sharing our deeply held belief.  Shouldn't that written word be both factual and poignant? Ought we not move our readers? What if that reader was on a board evaluating your statement of conscience.  I would want that person to be spiritually moved by my writing. Wouldn’t you?

So, what does that look like?  Consider these three steps 

1. Tell the story (as specific and vivid as possible) of when you were first moved by the Inner Light to be FOR PEACE and a CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR TO WAR.  What happened?  Was it a single event or did multiple experiences raise this leading in you? 
2. Describe how that moment grew inside of you and how it changed you. Share a personal experience of how this new spiritual knowledge had you operate differently in the world. 
3. Impart how it became an outward manifestation of a deeply held inner belief.  What did you do to forward peace in your community? 

If you have a peace-leading growing inside you and you'd like some guidance on how to express that with words please contact the author of this blog.  

~ Joseph Olejak 

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 

It is with profound sadness that I mourn the transition of Merry Lathrop.  Few people practice the art of goodness the way she did.  Solene Grace said "Whenever there was a need around her she tended to it -- that was Merry Lathrop."  And I can attest from personal experience this is true.  

During OPJ meetings she was fond of saying that she "didn't have a spiritual bone in her" but you could have fooled me!  Every word and deed that I saw was consistent with the Quaker testimony of truth and integrity.  And I could always count on Merry  to never mince her words and do it in such a kind way that I was often swayed by her arguments. 

We served together on the Outreach, Peace and Justice committee for many years -- since 2009 to be exact.  I have to say that she was a constant and gentle presence. A person you could count on.  And that was demonstrated in so many ways.  Merry took people into her home who needed a place to land and traveled far and wide to share nuclear non-proliferation. 

Peace and justice were in her DNA.  No matter where she was in the world, peace and justice were present. 

I'm reminded of the poem by Mary Oliver, When Death Comes 

When it's over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. I don't want to end up simply having visited this world

The full poem here:
​https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-102/when-death-comes/

Merry led a full life.  A life full of contribution.  Definitely not a visitor.

Please continue to hold her in the light these next few days and also Don, her loving partner of 75 years.

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