This morning after going to mass at Dolores Mission, Paula, Greg, Colleen and I went to a Quaker meeting in South Central LA. Greg is active in his religious exploration and during college he enjoyed going to Quaker meetings on the East Coast and thought that we might enjoy attending one together, as a part of the spirituality component of JVC. I honestly didn't realize that Quakers were still active, but after talking to the people at the house, I found out that there are 4 meeting houses in LA. The one we went to is the oldest one in LA and I think it must be dying out (reasons for this conclusion: 3 members, the house didn't have running water, they complained about how facebook is replacing the need for meetings of any kind).
The meeting house looked very different than any other place of worship I've been to: it was a normal house with the exception of the yard decor. A small sign over the door read "Gathering Place of Friends", there was a peace sign at least 5 feet tall, a huge globe of the same size, and a sign urging people to stop the execution of some man with a Middle Eastern sounding name. We walked into the door and were greeted with a cloud of smoke coming from the wood burning fireplace (I currently smell like a campfire). There were four people (all in their 60s and 70s) sitting on old sofas in a U-shape. We went in and were greeted with a slip of paper explaining the Quaker meeting format - we would be sitting in silence, meditating for an hour, and in order to not harm the group's dynamic and experience, we should not be determined to speak or determined not to speak. Meaning we needed to come in open, and if moved by God during the hour, we could speak what was on our mind or share any thoughts with the group.
During the meditation time, there were a couple cats wandering around our feet (the man living in the house later explained to Colleen when she asked how many cats he had, that he didn't have any cats if the police were asking because he refuses to spay/neuter the 10-20 cats that he feeds on a regular basis and having outdoor cats in LA is a fine of $300 per cat) meowing loudly, the fire was crackling and the sounds of the busy street outside were a constant buzz in the background. I think the idea of meditation is so interesting, but I honestly have a horrible time of clearing my mind if I don't have any guidance. I think I came up with about 5 lists that I really wanted to write down during the hour (ranging from things to do today to ideas for PE to what to do next year). oops. I didn't get much sleep last night, so concentration was not very easy.
The meeting house looked very different than any other place of worship I've been to: it was a normal house with the exception of the yard decor. A small sign over the door read "Gathering Place of Friends", there was a peace sign at least 5 feet tall, a huge globe of the same size, and a sign urging people to stop the execution of some man with a Middle Eastern sounding name. We walked into the door and were greeted with a cloud of smoke coming from the wood burning fireplace (I currently smell like a campfire). There were four people (all in their 60s and 70s) sitting on old sofas in a U-shape. We went in and were greeted with a slip of paper explaining the Quaker meeting format - we would be sitting in silence, meditating for an hour, and in order to not harm the group's dynamic and experience, we should not be determined to speak or determined not to speak. Meaning we needed to come in open, and if moved by God during the hour, we could speak what was on our mind or share any thoughts with the group.
During the meditation time, there were a couple cats wandering around our feet (the man living in the house later explained to Colleen when she asked how many cats he had, that he didn't have any cats if the police were asking because he refuses to spay/neuter the 10-20 cats that he feeds on a regular basis and having outdoor cats in LA is a fine of $300 per cat) meowing loudly, the fire was crackling and the sounds of the busy street outside were a constant buzz in the background. I think the idea of meditation is so interesting, but I honestly have a horrible time of clearing my mind if I don't have any guidance. I think I came up with about 5 lists that I really wanted to write down during the hour (ranging from things to do today to ideas for PE to what to do next year). oops. I didn't get much sleep last night, so concentration was not very easy.
After the meditation, one of the ladies, a woman name Marge, provided lunch for the 8 of us as well as a constant stream of stories. She told us about working at Wounded Knee, her father's union organizing in Detroit, being in Mississippi during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, getting arrested (I don't remember what it was for), living in South Central LA, working as an attorney in housing law, etc. Basically think of anything super left-wing and she's probably done it. One of my favorite stories she told was about when she had computer problems. She called the company and asked the man who picked up if he was in India. He said yes, and she proceeded to tell him that she likes people there and respects what they do, but she told him to organize a union for the Indian workers. She told him all about how to form a union so that we could get jobs back to the US because then the prices for labor would be equal and everyone would be happy. She also told us that one of her proudest moments was when she got fired by Nixon (not quite sure why?). And then she said people were always telling her that she was a radical, and it frustrated her because clearly, she is a conservative. Paula and I looked at each other like, "who is she and what planet is she from??"
There was a lot of political bashing going on and a lot of "the US is going down the drain". It was super interesting to listen (it got a bit long after the 2nd hour of conversation), but at the same time, I felt like there was bit too much despair and feelings that the US is hopeless. I disagree. I think we need to find a more moderate ground, instead of being so far left and radical, I think they could revise their ideas to make more gradual changes. I was also a bit confused as to what the Quakers do today. We heard lots of stories of activism in the 1960s-1980s, but not much about now. Maybe this was a poor sampling of people.
Overall, they were very giving and kind, but I'm not converting anytime soon. I missed having guidance for the meditation and having any structure. Also, I like bigger worshipping communities (4 people?). And more formalities, being in a house was weird. It was very much the stereotypical cat lady home. Yay for new experiences though!
ps - last night, we had a Harry Potter themed party to celebrate the release of the last movie in theatres. I didn't get any pictures, but keep an eye on Colleen's blog for me as a dragon, Colleen the house elf, Paula the unicorn and Greg as Prof. Lupin.