Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Conflict Resolution: Really about Consensus blocking

[DHCano (DHCano]

In a message dated 98-12-04 10:17:49 EST, floriferous [at] email.msn.com writes:

>The Quaker consensus model, as practiced by Quakers, will not
>work in cohousing groups unless they are strongly religious.

Or, perhaps, unless they share an over-riding common value as strongly as
Friends (Quakers) do the corporate 'holding in the Light' of each concern for
as long as it takes until discernment is seen to have been achieved.

In the case of slavery, this took decades.  Yet the Society of Friends was
still many, many years in advance of the overall (voting) society in which it
was embedded. Present Friends are in the midst of an equally painstaking
process regarding same-sex marriage -- struggling, but again far ahead of
society in addressing a highly charged issue.
 
Strange how a process that looks so slow can, when used faithfully, move a
group so very far ahead (in such significant ways) of groups that use quicker,
easier methods.

Diane Cano

Living at Ganas, an intentional community of 70+ people (eight houses) in
Staten Island
Worshipping at Brooklyn Friends Meeting
Working as an organizational consultant with groups learning collaborative
leadership