Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re: Blocking consensus

[Michael D (ohanamd]

> I object to "Blocking," because it almost always gets
thought of as a veto--"If I
> don't like the proposal, I can just block it." Another way
to think of the very same
> situation is as a group that has almost reached consensus on
a topic.  It's not about
> one person voicing objection and killing the proposal at the
last minute, it's about
> the group's responsibility to craft a proposal that earns
the consent of every
> member.

I also agree wholeheartedly with this.  I never use the term
"block" or any form of it when I'm talking about consensus.  I
even think "withhold consent" isn't the most accurate a way to
look at it.  What the person is doing is "calling for further
discussion and modification of the proposal."  He or she isn't
stopping something; he or she is initiating something - an
attempt to revise the proposal some more so that everyone can
align with it in integrity.  If the group is truly a community
committed to consensus, then no one would want to pass a
proposal that someone can't align with in integrity.

Namaste,
Michael
ohanamd [at] earthlink.net
Heart Song Community
Santa Fe, NM

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