Dear John, George, Herman, Susan and all,

 

First, George thank you for the meditation.

 

I have been reading with interest these two threads: one about the sensibilities and practical safety in avoiding angering people in the larger world, the second about how we listen to each other when our values do not match.

 

Tenderness in my subject line is not some sentimental value of being nice to each other. It's more like the RS1 illustration of feeling everything (every perspective) through burned raw nerve endings. Quakers use it in talking about how you hold Business Meeting where the objective is "to descern God's will." There is a great book by a Jesuit who came to observe and participate called Beyond Consensus. Recognizing you are in a corporate endeavor to do more than what humanly possible, you must make extreme allowances for the others doing the process. You aim to treat each other tenderly.

 

Of course, the world does not use this standard, but one can hope the People of God could.  It is the gift and duty of Those Who Care to be sensitive when others cannot.   Indeed, its how you know who they/we are.

 

Grace and Peace,

Love, LIGHT,

 

mary

 

 

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From: George Holcombe <geowanda1@me.com>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Thu, September 20, 2012 5:09:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] A good reflection on Romney

Part of my early morning meditation is coming across some of the writers, spiritual guides, etc.  and I got Richard Rohrs this morning and thought about us.