Preparing for this issue of the magazine, I have reflected on two of our most deeply held Quaker values: cultivate peace and seek truth. We talk about these Quaker tenets in Meeting for Worship and wrestle with them in our classrooms. But as I look at the world today, it feels critical to add a vital caveat about both: neither peace nor truth nor any of the other Quaker tenets is possible without taking risks.
To seek peace is not to seek comfort; it requires the brave risk of confronting injustice. To seek truth is not to settle for easy answers; it requires the vulnerability of admitting when we are wrong and actually listening to others.
Quaker discernment asks us to approach challenges with an open heart and “proceed as way opens,” to seek a deeper place of discovery with patience and attentiveness to our Inner Light, or conscience. In contrast, our society often associates risk-taking with speed and recklessness. Are these concepts at odds?
For me, they are not. Thoughtful discernment does not mean avoiding risk. In fact, it requires that we embrace uncertainty.
“Proceeding as way opens” is an active, living process. It is not an excuse to sit back and do nothing. Sometimes, way only opens after you take a terrifying first step into the fog. Sometimes, the path forward becomes clear precisely because you leaned into vulnerability, hit a roadblock, and had the courage to pivot. And even when the pieces fall neatly into place, taking action still requires the bravery to step forward into the unknown.
To fully live a purpose-filled life, we have to engage in positive risk-taking and embrace the possibility of failure. In a culture that treats failure like a permanent stain, we must know that failure is only permanent when we choose to let it be the end of the story.
The legendary Toni Morrison once said:
As a writer, a failure is just information... I recognize failure—which is important; some people don’t—and fix it, because it is data, it is information, knowledge of what does not work.
Think about that. When you stumble, you have not lost. You have simply gathered data. You have acquired the invaluable knowledge of what does not work. When we take risks without fear of this data collection, we free ourselves. We realize that the worst-case scenario isn’t making a mistake—it is letting the fear of making a mistake keep us frozen in place.
In 1964, when our founders, including Peter and Martha Klopfer, envisioned Carolina Friends School, they were engaging in courageous, reflective risk-taking. And for more than sixty years, with the guidance of Peter and Martha and so many others, we have continued to lean into their audacious dream. Even as we mark Peter’s passing, that legacy continues to drive us forward.
— Karen Cumberbatch