The Relentless Pursuit of Hope
Let’s talk William Penn and Native American history. Let’s consider how the Quakers applied what they learned when they sat together in silence, listening for the God of their understanding. The news is mixed.
Penn himself believed that Native Americans should be treated fairly. He befriended the various tribes both near and far (including the: Delaware (Lenni Lenape), Erie, Honniasont, Iroquois (Iroquois of mixed ancestry were called Mingo), Saluda, Saponi, Shawnee, Susquehannock (Andaste), Tuscarora, Tutelo and Wenrohronon tribes.
In fact, Penn himself orchestrated a peace treaty between the various tribes and insisted on paying a fair price for their land. This treaty was signed in 1755. But the state of Pennsylvania never recognized Native American rights to land within its borders and by the 1790’s, only one small community remained.
How do we make sense of such good intentions and the demise of friendly co-collaborators for a peaceful and just society? This stuff just keeps happening!!! Maybe that’s why sometimes I lose all sense of hope; I keep hoping we humans will get our s*** together and learn how to respect each other and share. Try entertaining two toddlers in quarantine and see how you feel about mankind’s capacity to share! Today my granddaughter said, “Meme, stop. Mine body.” (She’s a genius.) Good boundaries? Yes! But I was rescuing her from her own willful ways as she tried to ride her tricycle down a sliding board! Life is hard.
Nevertheless, whether we succeed or fail, I am reminded of the author of Ecclesiastes concluding that in spite of everything, it’s important to run hard after God. Of course, Proverbs teaches us that God loves to be caught. Spend quality time with two toddlers during quarantine and see how you feel about mankind’s capacity to love! Today I watched Pops crawl into a tent thingy with Norah and Christian, his long legs dangling out of the tent flap. Little toddler giggles trilled through the air as they enjoyed their Granddaddy in the middle of a work day, because, well, quarantine. I keep returning to hope. No matter how grumpy I get, hope pursues me with relentless determination.
