Faithful Action

Today’s Thought: People participating in The Postcard Storm with Friends for Civil Action have a variety of religious and secular viewpoints and political outlooks, but share a common desire for an inclusive, kind world.  Today’s thought comes from a story in The New York Times headlined A Leader in the War on Poverty Opens a New Front:  Pollution.  In the article, a Baptist minister in North Carolina the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, is quoted as saying, “Jesus said love your neighbor. I don’t care how many times you tell me you love me, if you put coal ash in my water, you don’t love me.  Because if there was nothing wrong with the coal ash, then put it in the wealthy communities.”

Background about The Postcard Storm:  As a political moderate, I personally am interested in political policies that focus on outcomes.  The Friends for Civil Action movement looks at ten outcomes we should all want: a habitable planet, good healthcare, quality public education, public safety, economic well-being, freedom, enrichment of experience, problem-solving capacity, hospitality, and kind behavior.  Because these outcomes are largely interdependent, reducing tactical options to either/or actions will rarely effectively address the complicated matters at hand; yet, that seems to be how options continually get framed.  The likelihood of the political arena beginning to function at a high enough level to meet all the facilitation needs government faces in these highly chaotic times seems slim to me.  A partial promise lies in speaking up for what we believe is right. Governing is complicated, and the voices of we, the people, are needed.

For people and groups interested in learning more about The Postcard Storm, ten outcomes we should all want, copies of a short book describing the collective actions of Friends for Civil Action is available online from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Onward we go in pursuit of kindness, purpose, and hope.  Molly Sharpe