Ourselves and Others

In the manner of Quakers, the query posted in the meeting room of our Stark Street Meeting House was changed today for the new month.

The March (or Third Month) query reads:

How careful are we of the reputations of others?
Do we practice the art of listening to one another, even beyond words?

Are we sensitive to each other’s personal needs and difficulties and do we assist in useful ways?

We worship in a circle, and I always position myself so that I can easily read the query on the distant wall.

After several re-readings and reflection, I was moved to speak out of the silence of worship. I asked my fellow worshippers to consider a change in the query so that it asks:

How careful are we of our own reputations?
Do we practice the art of listening to ourselves, even beyond words?

Are we sensitive to our own personal needs and difficulties and do we assist ourselves in useful ways?

I suggested that if we addressed these questions about ourselves, we would be far better able to address those about others as posed in the March query.