| Contributions
MOLLY
MCJOHN: via mail on 04 May 2002
I am
writing on behalf of the Lausanne Quaker Meeting. Our group read
… [the] email regarding QCEA’s ‘Spiritual Values
and Citizenship’ project in which you requested that we reflect
on how our spiritual and ethical values might influence decision-making
processes affecting the future of Europe.
While
our group did not have a lot of time to thoroughly reflect on the
issue, we did discuss it and we thought we might as well share our
thoughts with you.
It
was suggested that three tenets of the Quaker Meeting for Business
could be offered as a good model for conducting meetings pertaining
to European affair. Simply stated:
•
Firstly, individual country representatives should come to the meeting,
not with their own country’s personal agenda in mind, but
with a view of finding what is best for Europe as a whole.
•
Secondly,
during times of more heated debate, there should be a recourse to
silence and reflection for a moment, with the goal of easing tensions
and leading to more peaceful negotiations.
•
Finally,
leaders of the meeting should attempt to discern ‘the sense
of the meeting’ when directing the discourse and making final
decisions, summing up the ideas and concerns of all members present
as they work together towards their goal of finding what is best
for Europe as a whole.
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QCEA
gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the European Commission
for this project. This publication reflects the author’s views.
The Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of the
information contained in this publication.
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