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Chilterns Area Meeting Six meetings between November 2010 to February
2011
Some definitions offered:
Timescale – our life times Ourselves – those in the cluster group and our immediate families Our communities – either the local communities in which we live and work or Great Britain or world-wide communities of interest Global change – any change contributing to the single greater change that affects us regardless of where it happens
The overall effect of global change on our
communities has been a shift from closely knit geographical communities
to a more diffuse set of network connections, both virtual and
physical, for different aspects of our lives. Families are more
scattered, work is generally not local, and news arrives instantly from
anywhere in the world.
We realised that all these changes have an upside and a downside. We found ourselves very conscious of the downside of global change (we may be reaching the limits of global resources and we are recognising the damaging impact of our own consumption, the stresses due to migration of people and jobs, the devastating effects of climatic turbulence and the sudden and unpredictable actions of extremist groups) and feeling powerless to influence it. We realised that we need to look more deliberately at the beneficial effects of global changes so that we are able to get things in better balance. We recognised that we (in the North & West) are probably at the end of a whole way of living. “Saving the planet” is not the problem – saving the planet as a home for humanity with its current assumption about the need for continual economic growth and the current level of insatiable demand for “goods” is. Query 2 - What actions have we taken in response to global change as experienced in our area, to express our responsibilities towards all creation? In what ways have my own activities or those of my community contributed to positive or adverse social change? One of the cluster group introduced this session. She had conducted a survey among her non Quaker friends and business associates. Non Quakers didn’t see any spiritual dimension to global change and business associates were generally much more positive about what could be done to bring about change. There was a difference between those with and without children with those “with” having more of a future focus than those “without”. The extreme reaction of “it’s not my problem, I won’t be around” was actually voiced to her. Quakers, by contrast, do think about the consequences of their actions. Many are keen to conserve energy and conscious of their carbon footprints. One of our “stars” who works for a Solar Energy Trade Association, has given up his car and goes everywhere by public transport or bike now. He is an inspiring example to us all (but one of the downsides of this is that we see less of him). But even among Quakers there is little evidence of carbon reducing activities like car-sharing. On a personal level she is facing a real challenge: her job as travel counsellor does contribute towards the national economy and to education (at a stretch) but the effect of her work is definitely to increase air miles and carbon footprints. Actions we have taken or are taking
Our activities that have contributed to adverse social change
Our activities that contribute to positive social change
Summary – from global market to global community Once again we were more aware of the negative rather than the positive - what we are not doing or of activities that have adverse social and global effects. We felt that our efforts are a tiny drop in the ocean - it is difficult not to feel discouraged, even despairing, about any possibility of bringing about positive global change. Our primary awareness was the loss of a sense of community and the gross inequality (especially between Northern/Western countries and developing countries) perpetuated and exacerbated by our current economic system. We place our faith in small circles and quiet processes and in doing our bit even if others don’t. Query 3 - How do changes around us affect our relationship with God? How does my relationship with God affect my response to the changes around us? What role does faith have in my life and in the life of my community? In what ways do I and my Friends Meeting community bear witness to our Testimonies in our daily lives? How do changes around us affect our relationship with God? A number of us felt that this was a really strange question. Then we realised that if we had a fixed idea of creation or a belief that everything is pre-ordained then the changes around us would threaten that view and lead either to a loss of faith or an attempt to make the world conform to predictions of Armageddon by working to bring it about (as some right wing groups in the USA are doing). Most of us felt that our relationship with God was not affected by the changes around us but that failure on our part to respond to what is happening to the planet will damage that relationship. We look forward to hearing where other parts of the Quaker fraternity stand on this especially African and evangelical American Friends. How does my relationship with God affect my responses to the changes around us? We wondered how we would respond if we didn’t believe in God i.e. is it belief in God that makes the difference here? Connection with the divine and with the whole of creation through our connection with divinity makes what happens to the earth and humanity matter; It puts us in proper perspective – i.e. enables us to see ourselves in the context of the whole It helps us see the ways in which things are out of balance; It helps us to see that we are not in right relationship with the planet; It enhances our sense of responsibility for what is happening; It leads us to inform ourselves about what is going on and to participate in whatever societal processes are open to us; It leads us to value difference rather than see it as a threat – this in turn leads us to share with other faith groups (especially Muslim groups)and to learn from them; It leads us to support and protect diversity; It leads us to act to relieve suffering and to make the world a better more equal place; Believing that God’s will is for the wellbeing of humanity helps us to be less afraid of the future. If God is the source of all life it matters hugely that we are wrecking the planet and creating massive suffering into the bargain. If we believe in co-creation with the divine, what happens if we humans don’t keep our side of the bargain? What role does faith have in my life and the life of my community? There was lots of common ground with answers to the second part of the query. II provides me with a community of values so that I feel grounded and supported - not isolated; It provides me with a source of strength; It strengthens the value base in society; It counters the fear and negativity that is generated by the Media. It gives our lives a focus – gets us out of bed on a Sunday morning and gives us access to the Quaker community at local, national and global levels; We can meet other Friends from other countries and know them as part of the same community - this makes global relationships much more tangible; It gives us a sense of direction “excites our efforts to mend the world”; It leads us to be outward looking and to support other community initiatives; It provides us with an alternative value system to that of the secular society that surrounds us and gives us the strength to challenge materialism, greed and the “never never land” of western culture; The interaction with other faith groups challenges our beliefs and thinking (e.g. the Muslim banking system); It works both ways “up” and “down”: strengthens our belief in the divine and our relationship with creation. In what ways do I and my Friends Meeting community bear witness to our testimonies in our daily lives? We try to live simply within our means – living proof that a simple lifestyle freely chosen can be a source of strength; We attempt to content ourselves with catering for our needs rather than our wants -enough rather than always more; We attempt to face the truth with honesty and integrity rather than live a lie; In the UK we are starting to recognise the challenge of prosperity without growth and beginning to articulate the implications of a low growth or steady state economy for our own country and for the capitalist system as a whole; We live our lives outwards in relation to one another rather than inwards with the focus on ourselves; We try to live with honesty and integrity and to walk in other people’s moccasins; For some of our meetings corporate Quaker activity is not a reality for reasons of age, distance etc. in this case we act through other groups rather than through our local Quaker Meeting; In a small way the New Jordans Programme, through its local activities and through the web portal (www.quakersintheworld.org) is acting as a beacon of hope in these dark times; Reducing our carbon footprints is the real challenge – especially with inadequate infrastructure (e.g. public transport) to support individual action. Query 4 - What stories and experiences from past times of catastrophic happenings – perhaps from scripture, perhaps from regional or local events – might inspire us to respond to the changes the world is facing today?
Noah and the Flood reminds us that
when life as we know it is threatened it is possible to fashion
protection for living species and that things can get better as well as
worse. The modern equivalent of Noah taking animals into the ark two by
two is the DNA banks that have been created for seeds and animal
species that are threatened with extinction. What is important is to
ensure that these resources are a global commons and not to be
privatised and exploited by commercial companies.
Catastrophes throw up amazing leaders (Cometh the hour cometh the man) who provide us with inspiring examples from Moses onwards. They also concentrate the mind and energy and enable everyone to agree about the nature and scale of the problem (rather than arguing about them and as a result doing nothing). Doing nothing is no longer an option! The Indian Flag has a spinning wheel at the centre of it and reminds us of Gandhi’s ideal of a labour intensive India – the benefits of mechanisation need to be re-evaluated and the disadvantages need to be brought into the equation especially with unemployment growing all over the world. We need to consider moving back to more labour intensive production methods. We have enough for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed… The developed world has to accept having less so that the developing world can have more. Jordans Meeting House Fire/sale of Old Jordans Conference Centre There was a fire at the iconic Jordans Meeting House in March 2005. The same week the decision to sell the Old Jordans Conference Centre (on land adjacent to the Meeting House) out of Quaker ownership was announced. These two events were a wake-up call to the Jordans Quaker community. They mobilised a small group of concerned Friends to rise to the challenge of a) rebuilding the Meeting House; b) raising the money for a new rear extension and c) developing the New Jordans Vision (www.newjordans.org) for the use of the restored Meeting House. The effect that the fire had on our Quaker Community was to create conflicts that had to be resolved before we could move on. The result has been a more outward looking programme which is focused on future generations. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals developed in 2000 for achievement by 2015 provide basic statements of priorities for the whole of humanity. They are rallying flags around which people of good will from all around the world can be mobilised and towards which a global network of organisations can direct their efforts and resources. The failure of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit is forcing us to face up to our brokenness – our unwillingness to take responsibility for the world we have created. Query 5 - How can we bear witness to the abundance God offers us and testify to the world about ways in which justice, compassion and peace may address significant disruptions, stress and tensions? A different member of our cluster group introduced this session. Her starting point was the current grossly unequal (80%:20%) distribution of wealth between the developed and the developing world. This is both unjust and immoral and if we fail to act on the underlying injustice and inequality we are storing up heightened levels of unrest, tension and conflict. Quakers have a unique and valuable part to play at national and global levels in highlighting the long term consequences of continued inequality and injustice and promoting the benefits of mutual welfare and the need for dialogue at all levels. She took UK Immigration as her example of a current issue that is causing tension and conflict. It needs to be addressed openly by politicians who are leaving a vacuum to be filled by the scaremongering right wing press. Quakers can highlight the benefits of immigration and face up to the difficulties that immigration brings. Managed in this way the changes that immigration brings can help us make the transition to a richer more diverse society and stronger local communities. The main points of the discussion were: We
need to concentrate on the education of the next generation. Education
for world citizenship is being pioneered by the UN University. What are
Quaker Schools doing to address this need? Our sense is that while this
may be going on in individual Quaker schools and countries there is no
shared global education framework for work on this issue. Quaker
Schools worldwide could develop a programme around World Citizenship
Education of which the Right Sharing of World Resources would be a key
curriculum component. Exchanges and inter-visitation of 17 year old
pupils might create the foundation for lasting relationships. Other
Quaker Educational institutions like Pendle Hill and Woodbrooke could
be involved as could the QUNO Summer School in Geneva;
Influencing the climate of public opinion via the press and media will be really important. Quakers need to make our voices heard, pointing out the long term consequences of continued inequality and injustice and promoting the value of diversity and difference in novel and creative ways using the new social media (like twitter, facebook and linkedin); We need to articulate a shared Quaker vision of the global society we want to create (prosperity without growth; right sharing of world resources etc.) so that we have a simple single message that will form the foundation for work by all sections of FWCC to change the climate of public opinion world- wide; We need to build bridges with other Faith Groups and Non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) so that we are able to build bridges between and among us rather than walls around us; The stark reality is that we in the North/West have to accept a reduction in our standard of living and find ways of redistributing wealth both within and between societies if extreme poverty is going to be relieved; The central issues of reforming the capitalist system of wealth creation and regulating the speculative activities of investment banking have to be tackled. We note that the Quakers & Business Group has a new project that is looking at establishing new ways of financing social enterprises using Quaker funds.
Query 6 - How can we support one another in rekindling our love and respect for God’s creation in such a way that we are messengers for the transforming power of love and hope?
We really hated this question – it seemed to say
everything and nothing!
Living sustainably shows the power of love and
hope. Change is possible – we can set an example of better resource
usage and living within the earth’s means. A strikingly different
example makes people think. And we should attempt to provoke thought
rather than resistance;
Could the global Quaker Community find a way of modelling redistribution of resources and living sustainably as a small scale real time global experiment?
Notes from Janet May-Bowles |