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In Friends’ practice,
consensus is a way of arriving at a group decision
without the necessity of taking a vote. So no one ever
"wins" and no one "loses" or is overruled. It tries to
avoid the tyranny of the majority over the minority as
well as the tyranny of a few over the group.
If properly done, consensus-seeking opens the group to
the leadings of a "higher power." Thus the decision
finally arrived at may be different, and is often
better, than the view held by any one person at the
beginning.
The process makes demands on everyone in the group. To
begin, it requires that everyone feel responsible for
helping to make the best possible decision for the
group, even if they are the only one holding a
particular viewpoint.
Reciprocally, all others are bound to give the most
careful and sympathetic hearing to what another says,
searching for the inner truth in the words. If you agree
with a viewpoint being expressed, it is helpful to say,
"I agree," or "I approve," or some such expression of
consent. This enables the facilitator (clerk) to keep in
constant touch with the way the group is moving. The
discussion moves slowly and deliberately, with enough
time between statements for full consideration.
As the discussion goes on, often a sense of the group
begins to emerge. At that point the facilitator will
test the sense of the group by attempting to state what
s/he thinks the consensus is. This is a critical point.
Those who agree need to indicate their agreement.
Sometimes the facilitator needs to re-formulate the
sense. On the other hand, if a person still dissents, in
conscience or in principle, they have an obligation to
say so.
At this point, two resolutions are possible. If only one
or two still dissent from the clear sense of the group,
they may say something like: "I’m still not in full
agreement with the group, but I don’t wish to block the
group from acting, so I stand aside." Note that
consensus is not necessarily the same thing as
unanimity.
If, however, a person’s disagreement is based on a
deeply held value or conviction, it is his
responsibility to continue to say so. (Sometimes the
lone dissenter is right!)
In this situation, the facilitator may call for a period
of silence, for prayerful reconsideration. Often this
"cooling off" period helps people to modify their views
or to come up with a new and previously unthought of
solution that satisfies everybody. If not, the issue is
deferred to a later time.
Robert Hillegass
1992
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