Day 7

Monday morning came again and as usual I wasn't a fan. I guess it's not that I hate the morning, but more that I always question how well I spent the weekend. If it was a wild weekend, I lament that I didn't relax enough and if it was a relaxing one, then I regret not making the most of it. I guess that's the challenge of second guessing most of the decisions I make though, huh? 


My alarm was set for 5:30am. Since my wife changed her schedule around, I've been given an extra thirty-minutes of glorious sleep. Unfortunately, I still manage to wake up before the alarm actually goes off and today was no different. I opened my eyes at 5:29 and tried to pull the old wake-up-a-minute-before-the-alarm-goes-off-and-try-to-go-back-to-sleep routine. It didn't really work. The alarm went off as planned and sat up and placed my Bobby's World-looking feet on the faux-wood floor. 


"Thud!"


I went down hard. I'm talking hard like arms had to extend in front of me to protect my upper body from slamming against the hard floor. It was a little shocking to say the least.


"Honey, are you okay? What are you doing?" my wife asked in a half-asleep stutter. 


I mean, damn. I know she was asleep, but is there anything that I actually could be doing in such a situation?


"Nothing, honey. I'm fine," I softly replied.


"Is it seven?" she asked.


"What? No, it's five-thirty, " I told her.


"Is it six?"


"What are you talking about?! Go back to sleep," I chided. 


I don't know what she was dreaming about, but I wish it was a reality because I would love the extra sleep. Eh, I don't what I'm whining about. I'm only 27; living abroad and have a pretty simple job that happens to pay gobs of money. I can handle working fifteen hours a day for now. Besides, what else am I going to do? I'm not pushing a certain ethic at all, but I do adhere to the timeless quote of one of my favorite American presidents. 

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. -Thomas Jefferson

So, for now, I can hang with the extended work hours. Plus, I'm in Korea and these loons know how to put in the hours, so my complaints would only fall on deaf ears (or eyes).


I allowed my wife to readjust her position a bit before trying to stand again. After a few silent seconds, she appeared to be soundly sleeping again, so I lifted my now 69km body.


"Thud!"


Your guess was as good as mine. How did I fall again? I quickly crawled out of the bedroom hoping to avoid re-hatching the same conversation. Once in the living room, I surveyed the damage. My right baby toe was purple with a nice fresh gash resting directly below the toenail. I tried to move it; nothing.


"Perfect, " I thought, "now I get to call myself into work and cancel my classes."


I hate missing work. It's not that I love it that much, but I have tons of students that would need to be alerted of my absence and that work alone isn't much graver than actually hobbling in and doing my thing. I decided the best thing to do was tough it up and hop in the shower.


Once in there, the toe started to feel a little better, but the pain wasn't really the unsettling part. What was more vexing was how such an injury occured. I tried to piece together the end of my night but kept coming up with a very normal scenario. Apparently, I must have injured it in what might be another sleepwalking venture. I don't know much about the causes of sleepwalking or what it means, but I was told by the Internet that it might be that I have "difficulty handling aggression" or something like that. 


Eh...


The rest of the day kind of followed that same pattern. I rode my bicycle to work, but much of the joy was stolen by the toe pain. Work was normal, but I couldn't really stand or walk around the classroom. In fact, my daily work routine had to be severely tweaked because of my mysterious toe injury. 


After the whole work day was over, I slowly peddled up the long hill and made it back home. My wife was out at that point and while I'm usually overly eager to see her and plant a wet one right on her adorably crooked smile, I was pleased to find an empty house. All day I had been dealing with students and my toe pain that not even a moment had gone to my own thoughts. I hate that. Quakerism aside, I need some time to reflect -we all do. I can organize my thoughts and take a look at them one at a time. 


I dimmed the lights, sat down on my floor and thought. My brain certainly coasted from thought to thought but it eventually settled on the thought of love and oneness with God. The concept beautifully combines both Catholic and Buddhist principles. It acknowledges the loving power of God while offering some comfort in feeling God within you. I don't know if I'm doing it right or being a good Quakers when I'm praying, but the following poem by Mary Oliver really sticks with me...


Praying


It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.


I went to sleep relaxed and with a smile on my face. It's amazing what a little silent time can do for the human soul. The sounds of life might be beautiful at times, but the silent sound of the soul is what bonds us to this life and world.

Day 6

I woke up in time for the Meeting and headed out. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the place. I would have called the number that was provided, but the unprogrammed meeting was already taking place. I ended up driving around in circles. I have since gotten more exact directions and won't make that mistake again.

The whole time I couldn't stop imagining the people I missing. What do they look like and how do they act in everyday situations? When entering new situations, I typically identify and separate a "they" and a "me".  I guess I do this in order to create an illusion of uniqueness and self-importance. I remember doing it a lot when imaging college and my potential dorm-mates. All of them were from a semi-rural area in Tennessee and the images I had of them (especially after a telephone conversation with a very southern-accented suite-mate) were pretty much your typical good ol' boys.

Of course, my actual roommates were nothing like that and turned out to be more similar to me than I ever would have imagined (as I will explain below). In fact, one of them I have mentioned already -he's the one who have me the simple advice that "growing up in hard" when I was venting about my wedding- and the other two are still great pals. Before I landed in Korea, I had the image that everyone was short and that Korean girls were hungry for white men. Both of those stereotypes were proven false, but I still framed the situation like that in order to cover my own personal confidence issues. 


You might be wondering what that has to do with Quakers. Well, even though I have yet to meet the Quaker group, I can take a little refuge in knowing that I come from a family with a rich Friends upbringing. I can't actually date it that far back as I am not the slightest bit talented in genealogical research, however, my uncle has given me a few leads. 


My great, great grandfather was named Enoch Beals. He's standing here in 1884 at his home in Fairmont, Indiana. (He's #4)

I also found this letter from 1997...


I have recently bought a computer together with a Yellow Pages directory.
In the directory I located data on Quakers. Upon keying in the address, I
came upon genealogies of various family names, amongst them John Beals.

This document turned out to be 35 pages and of specific interest to me as I
am a great grandson of Enoch Beals born in Tennessee on Octobe4 14, 1841.
He was a civil war veteran on the union side because he lived in
Fairmount, Indiana, (Grant County).

In the documentation, Enoch Beals children are mentioned. One of these was
his second child, a daughter named Emma Cerena Beals. She was my mother's
mother, as she married James Earl Merry and resided in Dunkirk, Indiana
(Jay County) at the time of her death in April, 1914.

She had three children a son and two daughters, the youngest of which was
named Helen Cerena Merry. She married my father, Ellis Robert Lancashire
in Sept 1923. I am their third son , James Earl Lancashire.

I would be glad to correspond with you on further updating of this
genealogy of the descendants of John Beals. The original family tree which
was given to my mother in 1942 ( I was 10) spurred my interest in the
subject . It was written by a great ;uncle, John Beals and he had gotten
his data from an original genealogy by an Uncle Newton Beals who was a
brother of my great grandfather, Enoch Beals.

I also printed out the last will of William Clayton who was the father in
law of John Beals written in 1658, and found it to be very interesting also.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Jim Lancashire


Jim and I have a common ancestor: Enoch Beals. More quick digging...

Enoch Beals, son of Abner, son of Jacob, son of Daniel, son of Jacob, son of John was born in Greene County, Tenn., Oct. 14, 1841 and lived there until 1861, when he came to Indiana, and settled in Fairmount, Grant County. He enlisted in the Federal army in the War of the rebellion and served until the close of the war, when he came home and went into business in Fairmount. He worked at the shoemaker trade in Fairmount from 1865 until 1874. He also had a shoe store at this time in partnership with Joel B. Wright which he sold to Joel B. and went into the brickmaking business and continued in that for about one year. He then went into the grain business and ran a warehouse abut 15 years when he sold out and retired. When a boy and a young man he had been a farmer and shoemaker and had run a flax seed oil mill for several years and was a very hard worker all his life. He did not get much of an education but was counted a first class business man. He got to be worth about $12,000. He was married to Margaret Winslow, daughter of Jonathon P. Winslow in the year 1865, July 13, with whom he lived until 1874 when she died. He was married to Eleanor Cox Feb. 7, 1875, with whom he lived several years. He was divorced from her and was married to Idellia Cox July 7, 1888 and lived with her until his death. He held an office, Justice of the Peace, several years and also that of Notary Public. He raised 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls.

Alright now, he's a Tennessee boy who moved to the Indiana (probably because of his anti-slavery Quaker beliefs). His second wife, Eleanor Cox, is also pictured above (#8). His great great great grandfather was named John Jacob Beals.

John Jacob Beals was an early settler in the lower part of Ashton Township, Delaware County, Pa. He lived near Chester Creek which emptied into the Delaware River at the city of Chester. John Beals was married to Mary, the daughter of William Clayton, Sr., in 1682. They were members of the Friends' Church and so far as is known their children were. Their boys' names were John, William, and Jacob; the girls' Mary and Patience. The family after some time removed to Nottingham, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1726.

If you follow the history of the Beals', most of them were born in Greene County, Tennessee (good ol' boy?) and all of them were Quakers. As I mentioned, my uncle loves this stuff and has more information than me. He left this comment in a blog post the other day.

According to my records, your great great grandfather Enoch was forced to leave the Friends when he became a town official in Fairmount, Indiana -- because we was required to take an oath of office. He then joined a Congregational church. 

Alright now. If he was in Fairmont by 1861 and was a Friend until -based on the records above- the late 1870s until he was forced out, then he must have belonged to the only Quaker  church at that time: Back Creek Friends Church.




However, he was forced out in the late 1800's for taking a governmental oath. That suggests that Back Creek might have been a little more conservative or had some divisions with the Ohio Yearly Meetings (Hicksite split) .  Even within the progressive faction of the Ohio YM and Hicksite, there were conservative wings. The Congregational/Progressive Quakers started popping up about twenty years before Enoch Beals would have been forced out. I don't know if he was forced out though. It seems that since he fled the slave-friendly south and had divorced, he might have been too progressive for even the progressives.

In many ways these were the prototype for modern unprogrammed meetings, with virtually complete autonomy for local meetings (though not many local meetings were established), no overt restrictions on personal belief, no recognition of ministers and elders, considerable interest in Eastern religions and other more-or-less exotic spiritual practices, a heavy emphasis on political activism (especially abolition and women’s suffrage), no sharp distinction between members and non-members, etc.

I guess I could keep on digging around, but for the sake of time, I think I'll stop there. In short, I have no idea what to expect next Sunday, but I do know this: there is something about the history of my family and their relationship to Quakerism that intrigues me. Enoch Beals believed deeply enough in his religion to relocate his entire life and family history from Tennessee to Indiana in order to escape "the rebellion" and fight for the side he knew was right. I didn't know a thing about my Quaker roots a couple months ago, but it goes to show that we all have something to be proud of lurking in our pasts. 

Day 5

It's odd. I woke up this morning at 3:00am on the couch in the living room wearing only boxers with no blanket or pillow. My dog was there with me as was a glass of water. I sat up and looked around trying to gain some sort of recollection of what happened, but nothing. I've woken up on the couch before but that's usually accompanied by a hangover and a less-than-enthusiastic wife. After deciding that it was a fluke, I walked back to the bedroom and gently glided in next to my wife. I woke up several hours later still unsure about what had transpired. 


My wife was heading out of the city with a friend for a little countryside cruise, so the house was mine for the day. She left at about 9:30am. She wanted me to take her to the station on the motor-scooter, but I shouldn't be riding it. I did, though. This project is important to me, sure, however, my wife is much more important. I dropped her off and then headed back home. I had some plans today as well. I was meeting some old friends for lunch on a bar rooftop called Nashville in a foreigner-heavy district of Seoul. I'll go anywhere for outdoor fun. We were supposed to meet at noon, however, I got a call at 11:00am asking if we could push it back to 1:00pm. I hate last-minute plan changes, but every single Korean (and long-term expat) I know (wife including) does this, so it wasn't shocking at all. I used that time to call my mom.


Halfway through the conversation, I remembered that I needed to call the Quaker number again. I gave them a buzz and this time I got to talk to someone. From what I can now gather is that the father is American, the mother Korean and the son is mixed. Either way, I got to talk to the father -a very pleasant man- and he told me about the Weekly Meetings and some other details. I have my first meeting tomorrow at 11:00am. He gave directions (which are very confusing) and his number in case I get into a jam.  I hung up the phone feeling great. Tomorrow is going to be fantastic.


At this point, the conversation with my mom was drying up. It usually hits its peak at around 15 minutes or so. I signed off Skype, threw on my shoes and hit the road. It's not a long ride to our lunch spot, so I didn't bring any water or anything. Seoul is cut in half by a massive river with dozens of bridges traversing the gap. I usually travel across only two of them. Today, I decided to take the more leisurely one which stops by the newly renovated riverside parks. I can go slow and don't need to be worried about being chased off the road by impatient drivers. 


Just as I approached the bridge, I was met with heavy traffic. I assumed that the day's weather had drawn many day-trippers out of their apartments for a little vitamin D, so I casually scooted by most of the bottleneck. After a few moments, I realized that it wasn't an excess of Seoulites, but an accident between a motorcyclist and a middle-aged women in an over-sized sedan. Just like in America, people were rubber-necking. Car after car drove past, just staring at the smashed motorcycle and its driver laying silently on the hot pavement. The women was frantically pacing back and forth while calling 911 (or so I thought), but no one stopped to help.


I pulled in behind her. She turned to me and stared for a moment. She didn't think I could help her. What was I going to say? To her, if I couldn't speak Korean well enough, then my labor and assistance weren't necessary. Of course this is quite wrong. I was going to be late if I stopped, nonetheless I did anyways. 

Remember your responsibility as citizens for the government of your town and country, and do not shirk the effort and time this may demand. 

This was a passage I read moments before leaving the house. I am a Seoul citizen. I pay taxes, use the hospitals and visit the museums. This is my city just as much as any other has been. In fact, scratch that. I am more a citizen of Seoul than I have been in any other city in my life. It was my responsibility to pull my bike over and check on the unconscious man. So, I did just that. 


He was lying on the ground in an almost nap-like position with his head resting on his upper arm. I leaned down as if I knew what I was doing. The Korean women started shouting (in Korean), "No! No! No! Don't touch him!" I knew what she was doing. She wasn't worried about me making his injuries worse. No, she wanted the police to arrive on the scene and survey the damage and situation before he moved because she wanted to frame the story in support of her. I gently tapped his shoulder and he awoke from his stunned daze. Another bicyclist stopped to help and together we moved the damaged bike off the road. He stood up slowly and then sat against the railing. He looked like he'd be fine until the ambulance arrived.


I rode on. 


It was amazing that this women wasn't even looking at this guy as he laid there on the hot street. She -like all the other motorists- cared about her liability more than the man in need. I would have done the same thing had I been motorized at the time. Quakerism stresses so much that people need to be more compassionate, but they often take it one step further. They recognized the fruitlessness of simply sympathizing and making offerings and challenged themselves to find the cause.

Seek to discover the causes of social unrest, injustice and fear; try to discern the new growing-points in social and economic life. Work for an order of society which will allow men and women to develop their capacities and will foster their desire to serve.

I was planning on going to the river to clean up trash and I'm still doing that, but Quakerism tells me not only to bag the trash and dispose of it. That'd be too easy. They want me to get to the source of it. Now, cleaning and protecting the environment is more of a long term thing -which is why many liberal Quakers focus heavily on it- but I can use this stuff in my everyday life. 


I've been dealing with loads of foolishness at work a lot recently and today I discovered that my boss is moving to another branch -something that shocked me but was told was very common. So, it leaves me in an interesting position. I've been the manager under her (my current boss) for about a year and together we've dealt with a lot of crap. I have a current employee who has been on the chopping block for his entire year-long contract. Now that his only saving grace will be gone, I'm going to have to start cleaning house and in a real and permanent manner.


I'm tired of cleaning up temporary messes. Time to start seeking the cause.

Day 4

Last night, I decided to surprise my wife after work. I used to do that kind of stuff all the time. I remember taking the subway for nearly an hour just to meet her after class (she was a college student when we met). Now, I never do that kind of stuff and that's too bad. She's riding her bike to work this month because I'm choosing not to use any motorized vehicles and therefore can't shuttle her around on the scooter. I can, however, meet her with my bicycle and together we can enjoy riding our bikes. I did just that last night and even added the dog into the equation.


I arrived at her office a little earlier than planned and was going to have to wait for a few minutes until she could call it a day. Well, those few minutes turned into thirty minutes which burnt through most of my patience. By the time she came out, I was more irritated than anything and the entire "surprise" was useless. I had pure intentions, but my own frustrations ruined the whole damn thing. What a shame, but it made me realize that I need to get back to my Buddhist practice of meditation. Luckily for me this month, Quakers also treasure meditation. In fact, many Quaker Weekly Meetings take place in total silence. 


The ride back home calmed my irritated nerves a bit. Riding a bike with my wife and dog is a great experience. My wife leads the way with my dog following closely and, of course, pulling me along. He will literally follow her in any direction she goes. No matter who absurd the route or course, he'll stay directly on track. It's pretty classic to watch.


We got home and I decided that I needed to meditate. I didn't think meditating for an hour would be much problem for me. After all, I did it plenty of times a couple months ago and I've read the Bible enough to be able to manage the underlying message, but there are a few core differences that I'm still trying to ease into. 

• Each person has an inner light (part of God's spirit) inside them - so there is a unity between all human beings

• 
  

  Spiritual truth can only be known through direct revelation from God

• 
  

  God continues to "talk" to people today

• 
  

  Conscience gives a guide to conduct

• 
  

  The Bible is not regarded as the only guide for conduct and belief

• 
  

  Doubt and questioning are valuable tools for spiritual growth

• 
  

  All human beings can have a direct experience of God - they don't need priests to help them

• 
  

  There is good and evil inside all human beings, and all human beings can choose between them - everyone has the power to choose good over evil if they really want to

• 
  

  Christ's life demonstrates the full truth of God

• 
  

  Quakers do not agree on what happens after death. Some believe in an afterlife, some don't.

This is an interesting list and I guess I should make it very clear that not all Quakers follow the same set of beliefs or rituals. For instance, there are different Meetings all over the world. In the US, the Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina Meetings are very conservative. It would not be unheard of to spot some old-fashioned Amish-looking clothing in such a Meeting. I don't know what the Korea Meeting is like yet. This list is from the BBC which was taken from the British Yearly Meeting. It's unofficially official. 


And I like this list a lot. I dig the idea that the each person has the inner light within. That reminds me of the Buddhist belief that everyone has the capacity for Buddhahood within them as well. I certainly agree that conscience gives us a guide to conduct as well. One of those two little guys on our shoulders -regardless of physical manifestation- is usually giving us some good advice. I like their take that the Bible and priests are not the only way to understand God or have a relationship with him. This is important to me because I felt that Catholicism was essentially spoon-feeding spirituality to me whereas Buddhism revealed itself as more of a preferred path. For true spiritual growth and harmony, I feel that silent reflection rather than recitation leads us -or maybe just me- to a more pious existence. 


Organizing all of that into one single prayer is pretty difficult. Again, the struggle of trying too hard to pray or meditate correctly comes back from April's troubles to haunt me yet again. This months god seems to be a distant cousins to last months as the Bible has been downplayed in order to push the Quaker belief of equality and oneness. 


I tried to meditate, but the messages at this point are still too unclear for me to channel Quaker energy into a meaningful connection with the spiritual world. I have a lot more reading to do and even more searching for Korean Quakers to continue. 

Day 3

My day off yesterday was great. I didn't do much of anything and it was just what I wanted to do. I had tried to get a few things stirring with friends, but it turned out that I was the only one who had the day off. As I mentioned, yesterday was election day here in Korea. The past month has been wild with election mania as candidates blanketed the streets with fliers and obnoxious ditties. Luckily, I don't live in a residential area, so things were little quieter for me. I did get the chance to have several political discussions with some of my students though and, as odd as it may sound considering my political leanings in the US, I find myself agreeing more with what could be called the conservative party rather than the liberal option. To me --an outsider and a foreigner-- the "conservative" party seems much more level-headed and --wait for it-- progressive.

So, how do I account for this duality within the party and myself? In order to be a liberal, you must seek progress rather than conserve what the past might have been. The American conservatives are holding on to a past that they not only don't remember accurately, but never actually experienced. "Take our country back" they say. Well, from who and to where? Making political decisions based on nostalgia is a dangerous road to walk. And it's downright crazy to base it on the nostalgia of others.

They remember the one above, but not the one below.






Gee whiz, the diners of the 1950s sure were swell.



Nostalgia can be dangerous. Longing for a time of simplicity only reveals its complexity.

In Korea, the "liberal" party does not want to discuss progress. They want to hold on to a romanticized version of how Korea used to be BEFORE American intervention and BEFORE globalization and BEFORE McDonaldization. Sounds innocent enough, but if you want to go to that time then you must also live in a Korea BEFORE democracy and BEFORE women's rights and BEFORE technology. The warm-fuzzies of yesteryear are warm and fuzzy because it's easier to forget the negative when all you focus on is the positive. They are already nostalgic for the last politician who killed himself after being proven a shady pol.

Old people are usually the most guilty of this behavior and sometimes take that extra step and demonize the youth for "ruining the country".

To them, I ask, "Why did you work so hard for your family?"

There are a variety of answers that might be offered in the US, but in Korea it's usually, "So they could have an easier life than I had."

Of course, everyone wants that for their children, but once we give them a better and easier life, there are going to be consequences for that and we need to be prepared to accept that responsibility. Maybe they don't work as hard or maybe they don't appreciate the same things the older generation did. Well, that's what you wanted! You worked hard so they could have a better life. Better sometimes translates to easier which, in turn, might make the younger generation appear "lazy" or "ungrateful". Still, you can't get angry at them for it. That's the same as building a snowman and then complaining that your hands got cold. It's unfair. Progress is a natural thing. That's the very spirit of nature. 

Enter Quakers.

One might assume that Quakers are very devout and traditional people and you'd be right. However, that image is in contrast to the fundamental ideals of social justice and equality that Quakers espouse. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Quakers fought hard for ending the slave trade and protecting Native American grounds. They were the first. Before then, however, Quakers typically didn't participate in such endeavors because they hadn't been confronted with them yet. Now, hundreds of years later, they're recognizing gay marriages and have become "Britain’s first mainstream religious group to approve marriages for homosexuals." They didn't have a creed or rules about gay marriage two hundred years ago because they had yet to cross that bridge.

Every generation has felt the need for revision; the present [book of faith and practice] is the tenth edition. Pressure for revision has always come from the generality of Friends, but each revision has met with resistance from some who had lived with the old words and had found them entirely satisfying. Nevertheless, it has been the experience of Britain Yearly Meeting that necessary change has, despite occasions of great tension, been effected in love and unity.

Remaining static in a changing world is a detriment to yourself and all of society. Traditions are the reflections of a specific era. People, society and culture do not wait for traditions to catch up; they make their own.

A blogger in Korea was recently discussing this cultural issue.

 [The older generation complains] because the culture's moving in a direction [they] didn't set.

I agree with him (which is rare). I happen to like my parents generation and I'm pretty sure they're okay with mine, but if I go too far back, I know that I'm going to step into some unpleasant stuff. Same goes for the Quakers. American Quaker  and founder George Fox probably  wouldn't be so open to the idea of tolerating gay marriage, but that doesn't matter. He's long dead and while many people cherish his ideals and his history, Quakers have moved on and adjusted to the ever-changing environment.

In essence, Quakerism is alive. It's free to grow at its own pace, but understands that evolution is at work. It can learn new things and adjust to others. It has opinions and reacts to what is best for itself. It is not frozen in old texts or wisdom, nor does it always get it right. One might ask how it does this. How can a religion change? Isn't that a little too convenient for its followers?

It might appear that way on the surface to some, but to truly understand how Quakers live and why they appear to be on the forefront of many social issues is actually quite simple. Quakers believe in a oneness with God. Inside each of us, something of God exists and because of that, all creatures on earth have value and must be treated with respect. Culture is  created by people and all people have God within them, therefore culture also has elements of God within and must be treated as such.

Day 2

I thought about many ways to start this post. Perhaps I should get right into the messages of Quakers or maybe I should explain the history of the discipline, but I think those will come with time. I want to know who the Quakers are and what they do. I don't want to understand them through books and writings alone, but I want to know them -the people.

As I mentioned yesterday, there are some Friends (members) in Korea and even a telephone number that I can call. So, this morning, I called it. No answer. And maybe that was a good thing because I hadn't really prepared anything to ask. A couple hours later I called again. No answer. I started to think that the number wasn't working or wasn't connected to the Quakers anymore. I got a bit frustrated, but didn't give up. A few minutes ago, I called again.

"Hello."

It was a young sounding man. I was taken aback. I was actually expecting a middle-aged Korean woman and had prepared a Korean introduction for myself and what I wanted. This threw me off a bit.

"Yes, uh, is this the Quakers?"

What an absurd question. But what can I say, I was caught off guard. It was like expecting water and getting vodka instead. You know --a real kick in the teeth.

"No, this is actually a residence."

At this point, I was sufficiently baffled. Was this guy a teacher? Maybe he was in the US Army? I didn't know and this confusion kept me bumbling along quiet nicely. I tried to settle it though.

"Alright, well, I got the number from a Quaker website and was curious about the Meetings. Do you get these calls a lot? Has the number changed?"

"My parents are Quakers. I'm just visiting for the summer," he replied.

At this point, I had no idea who I was dealing with. From what I can ascertain, this guy is a Korean-American who grew up with his parents in the US and decided to stay for college even though his parents have since moved back to Korea. We continued to chat for a few minutes about contact information and how his parents will get back in touch with me soon. I hope they do and luckily, it sounds like they'll have some sort of command of the English language. That makes this process much easier. So now, I'm waiting to hear from his Quaker parents. I'm curious about him though. Is he not a Quaker anymore or was he ever one to start with? 


***


Today is an off day for me. Unlike the US, Korea gives the day off for voting. So, I'm home all day. I had planned on reading most of the day away, but my dog was literally sitting next to me and giving me a paw every few moments. He wants to go on a walk...again. And since I have the time, I can do it. We have route we usually go as well and since it's bike season, we expanded on that one. 


Southern Seoul is very hilly and my neighborhood is no different. We headed down the street and up the hill. And another. And another. By the time we hit that third hill, I'm usually pretty tired. Luckily, Bear is leading the way on his leash, so when I start to slow down, he picks up the slack. He led me up the hill and then to his favorite local park. We spent a some time there and heading down the hill and eventually pulling onto my alley. 

"Hello! Hello!"

Being an obvious English speaker in a country starving for English, I thought this to be the very common and ignorable occurrence where random pedestrians shout me down in hopes of starting a conversation or, at least, showing off their skills. I glanced in the direction of the calls. A middle-aged women was running towards me. Her arms were waving frantically above her head. 

"Hello! Hello! You Korean?"

She wanted to know if I spoke Korean to which I politely said, "no". It didn't matter to her though. She ran up and started speaking. From what I picked up, she loved my dog and the fact that I own a mutt. Remember, mutts like mine are typically viewed as food rather than pets. That doesn't mean people want to eat my dog. That's crazy. It means that seeing a mutt (똥개 or "shit dog") as a pet is surprising. 


The conversation was becoming a bit long, so I tried to speed it up by agreeing with everything she said. I understood some of what she was ranting about, but not all of it. From what I gathered, she works for KBS TV and wants to interview me and my wife for a campaign against the dog market. I thinkI agreed to do it and then she started asking me what time is good to meet on Saturday. My deflections had backfired and now I somehow got sucked into to going on TV (something I don't like doing anymore) in protest of dog meat consumption. She told me to have my wife call her this evening. We'll see how this turns out.


This is a tricky situation for me. I have eaten dog meat and dog stew in my time in Korea. I don't like it really, but I personally don't see any problem with eating dog. If we are going to eat cows and pigs then dogs are no different. Many will argue with that, but to them I say this: empathy for life should be universal and equal.


You've all see the diagram of the Atlantic slave-trade before, but you might not know that it was the Quakers who first published it. However, simply ending the slave trade wasn't enough. They sought after the cause. They wanted to solve the problem so it wouldn't happen again. Social justice of all sorts is one of the strongest tenets of Quakerism.

Much of current philanthropical effort is directed to remedying the more superficial manifestations of weakness and evil, while little thought or effort is directed to search out their underlying causes. The soup kitchen in York never has difficulty in obtaining financial aid, but an enquiry into the extent and causes of poverty would enlist little support. 

Joseph Rowntree, 1904 -Social Responsibilty 23.18

I started this month with this to illustrate that there is no set creed for Quakers. Some might think that fighting for animal rights is the right thing to do, while others might not.

There will also be diversity of experience, of belief and of language. Friends maintain that expressions of faith must be related to personal experience. Some find traditional Christian language full of meaning; some do not. Our understanding of our own religious tradition may sometimes be enhanced by insights of other faiths. The deeper realities of our faith are beyond precise verbal formulation and our way of worship based on silent waiting testifies to this. -

 Postscript to an epistle to 'the brethren in the north' issued by a meeting of elders at Balby, 1656

What is clear is that equality and respect for the earth and animals is paramount. 
This photo shows a female Quaker preaching at a Meeting in London in the 1800's.



And some men say, “Men must have the Power and superiority over the woman, because God says, ‘The man must rule over his wife, and that man is not of woman, but the woman is of the man’” (Gen 3:16). Indeed, after man fell, that command was. But before man fell, there was no such command. For they were both meet-helps. They were both to have dominion over all that God made. . . And as man and woman are restored again, by Christ, up into the image of God, they both have dominion again in Righteousness and Holiness, and are helps-meet, as before they fell. -George Fox 1964


We have our own individual causes that we fight for and injustices that we fight against. This month, I am following a simple Quaker philosophy of environmental protection. The idea is that it's our job to reduce the burden on the world, so I will not be using or riding any motorized vehicle for the entire month. No buses, no subways, no taxis and NO motor-scooters. The wife and I will be biking our way around this month. Let the games begin! 


Tomorrow, I'll be posting some common beliefs held among Quakers.

Day 1

I'm not sure why my mother had to be so ruthless in the morning. I mean, I did enough of my homework (C's), completed some of my chores (still got an allowance) and woke up without whining too much. (I was a deaf-mute until I was 11.)  Isn't that all that a growing boy should be expected to do? In fact, I often went without dessert many nights just to prove my dedication to the Leave it To Beaver-ness that my mom so desperately sought after in the late 80's. From what I remember --and I remember pretty much everything pre-alcohol-- I was the perfect son on all accounts.



Eddie was taking notes from me.

"Say Mom, your meatloaf sure is swell!"

And one would think the reward for such perfection would at least be the breakfast that I wanted --that I earned-- right? Not in this Hogan household. While my older sister got to chat the night away with her teenage boyfriends that were AT LEAST two years older than her, I was stuck toiling away at my desk. Night after night, I sat there; my eyes red from the fumes as the flame slowly consumed the wick. And I did all this in hopes that I could eat some sort of sugary cereal in the morning. I craved the sugar. All of my friends' parents allowed it, why couldn't mine?


The morning sun would greet me, but alas, it never brought good news. I would stumble down the stairs and into the kitchen. On the weekdays, there was never any home-cooked breakfast, only Morton's Honey Buns or small Lenders Bagels. I didn't want those though. I didn't spend my nights pounding the books for microwavable trash like that. I wanted the good stuff. I wanted the tongue candy. I wanted the stuff my sister was always undeservedly eating with her big crooked smile. I wanted Fruity Pebbles and Trix. I wanted Corn Pops and Apple Jacks. But as luck would have it, my wishes were never granted. 

I would beg, "Mother, please be so kind as to allow thou to induldge in such a scrumptiously delicious morning tart. Please mother. Please I would be ever so grateful!"

My pleading only seemed to anger her as she would frantically start pouring more and more bowls for my sister and herself. The tears rolled down my cheek as the two of them sat there laughing and eating my beloved sugary cereal. Their spoons were often times too full for the amount they scooped from the bowl and instead of offering some to me, they threw it on the floor as laughter bellowed from the depths of their shallow souls. I guess I could have spent more time lamenting the cruelty of the moment, but I was bigger than that. I accepted my fate and gave in to the allure of the bottom cabinet. I didn't want to, but my body's need for nourishment prevailed.


The bottom cabinet was a terrifying place. Aside from the usual vermin that lurked in the dark and dusty corners, there were sounds --shrieks even-- from the battered souls of the boys who lived in that old house before me. (The house was built in 1909 --it knew torture.) The fear of opening that cracked wooden door was sometimes enough to make me skip breakfast all together, but I didn't want to let them win. Once the door was opened, the full gravity of the situation really set in. It was a sense of total desperation. Was I to eat Special K or Grape Nuts? The thought of both repulsed me and violent bouts of vomiting ensued nearly every time. 


But there in the back, next to the Ipecac, Dimetapp and purple bottle of rat poison, was my only saving grace. It's cylindrical shape still gives me a sense of warmth and protection. In the cold days that were my childhood, sometimes he was the only one who would hug me when I was cold and smile at me when I was lonesome. 



His warm smile and long flowing side-hair gave this wretched soul the 100% natural whole grain goodness that any boy needed. And even though that boy turned out to be a 27 year-old who tells extreme lies about his childhood in hopes of garnering some cheap laughs or pity, I still love seeing that guys face. 


In fact, it wasn't more than a week ago that I found myself scurrying through the labyrinth of over-sized Costco shopping carts in search of his wonderful face. His visage is timeless and this month, I'm curious to see if his religion's message from the 1600's proves to be that way, too.


Quakers are Christians, but they have a very unique approach to the religion and certainly have a different relationship with Jesus Christ. We (as in me this month) are referred to as "Friends" and these cats have done a lot of things that you might be surprised to discover. 


This month is bound to be an absolutely fascinating one. I've found a local Quaker Meeting group and am ready to get into this one. No holds barred, people! I'm going wild and since my wife has decided to sit back and watch (rather than participate like she did for the last two months), it's going to be all me. 


I'm not going to get into the details or anything today, but I really want all of us to share in on this experience. So, if anyone comes across anything fascinating, please post it in the comments or share it with me on Twitter. I think we're all going to be pleasantly surprised by these guys. To put it simply, the Quakers have always led the way. They were on the forefront of every major social battle of the Revolutionary era and they're still trailblazing their way into Heaven. 


Open up, kiddos. Here come the Quakers!


***


By the way, my mother really did discourage sugary cereal when I was young. Of course, she didn't do it in such a terrifying way, but Cheerios, Grape Nuts AND Quaker Oats oatmeal were happily very much a part of my childhood diet. It was actually so successful that when I went to my aunt and uncle's house as a child, I was always upset because they had Honey Nut Cheerios. I tolerated them, but I preferred the regular kind. Still today, I eat a ton of REGULAR Cheerios with NO sugar. I actually ate two bowls of regular Cheerios today and have a bunch of Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal in my kitchen. Some things never change.