Cohousing-L Mailing List: Experiences in handling difficult issues

[Willow Murphy (willowm7]

We'd like some ideas from other communities in how you have handled
difficult or divisive issues within the consensus process.  We are
especially concerned about times when some members have strong feelings and
concerns against a proposal and others have "facts" to support it, which we
have recently experienced.   This has brought up the tough issue of whether
we value facts over what are believed to be legitimate concerns, or vice
versa. Concerns may be devalued, because there aren't as many facts to back
them up.   The question of caring about our neighbors feelings came up, the
question of either group "forcing their will" on the other, the importance
of saving money over health concerns or the reverse, and how to find what
really IS best for the community as a whole?  In our case, we didn't
proceed to the third meeting where a vote could have been called for.  The
proposal was tabled by the proposer, but there is still frustration and
some hard feelings about how our process with this didn't work well.  We
use Butler's consensus guidelines.
Willow
Sand River Cohousing
Santa Fe, NM.