In search of community
Commentary by Joanne Cvar
Pacific Green Party of Oregon

The Green Party platform places great value on diversity, cooperation and community. Yet we are all indoctrinated by a culture that values competition and self reliance. Many of us are Greens because we see ourselves as independent thinkers, willing to look beyond current paradigms to seek solutions to the issues that threaten our democracy and the very planet we inhabit. Are there ways to reconcile independent thinking and self-reliance within a sense of community?

For the past 350 years, the Quakers have done so through a philosophy based on the practice of agreement-seeking for unity-which is not necessarily the same as unanimity. Some call it nonviolent communication; most call it consensus. Consensus is an art that requires training and practice; it doesn't come easily for those of us who have internalized the values of a violent and in-your-face society. The process requires qualities of shared commitment to a common goal, mutual trust and patience. The procedure varies and is less important than the attitude. Quakers believe that everyone has a bit of the divine within him or herself; secular Greens might say that each of us has a piece of the Truth. When each piece is carefully heard and considered, the resulting decision possesses holistic synergy. No one person is responsible for the decision; all share responsibility for the consequences.

When I attended my first convention of the Pacific Green Party in 1999, I was struck by the sense of welcome and community I felt there. They used a form of consensus developed by the Alpha Institute, an intentional living community in Oregon's central coastal region. Lysbeth Borie volunteered her professional expertise as facilitator-a crucial role in the consensus process-and offered free workshops to our leaders and members. I had reservations about consensus, fearing the process might exert too much pressure toward group conformity. But later I volunteered for an intensive four-day training workshop, partly because I loved the wooded setting at Camp Myrtlewood, and it was an opportunity to spend time there. I wondered how a discussion of consensus could possibly take up so much time and effort. I came away convinced consensus could save the world!

The process of consensus emphasizes the sharing of ideas and airing of differences in an atmosphere of seeking and honoring diverse viewpoints. The viewpoint of each member of the group is equally valued, regardless of leadership position and/or expertise. The facilitator plays a key role in making sure everyone is heard, summarizing, listening to further discussion, re-summarizing in an effort to weave together all the thoughts expressed, and continuing the process until an agreement is reached that has considered more options and possible consequences than would be the result of a single authoritative opinion. Ideas, once contributed to the dialogue, can be considered without blame or anger, as they are offered as a gift to the group, no longer owned by the giver. A spirit of generosity, compassion and mutual respect helps build group solidarity. The consensus process prioritizes the shared mission and principles of the group over the stance of any one individual, with the understanding that each group member benefits from a decision made for the common good. At the heart of the process is the belief that we can all learn from each other.

Applying consensus philosophy works best in face-to-face settings. Many Green decisions are necessarily made over e-mail, since there are sometimes great geographical distances between members of the group. Because this electronic process is still relatively new, poor communication practices can bring about misunderstandings and even anger. The procedure for making decisions electronically needs to be set up in advance and understood by all participants, but the attitude of courtesy and mutual respect required for a successful agreement-seeing process remains.

In this time of increasing population pressures and diminishing resources, the ability to communicate and reach mutual decisions in a just and cooperative manner for the benefit of the world community will be crucial for our continued survival. We Greens may well represent the last best political chance for humanity. We are more than a political party; we are a social movement. To meet this tremendous responsibility, we must actively seek unity within our common vision and model "what democracy looks like." The reconciliation of individualism with community good represented by the consensus philosophy shows the way. The future may depend on it.

A useful guide to nonviolent e-mail communication can be found at www.albion.com/netiquette. For additional consensus-building materials and information about workshops, visit www.earlham.edu/~consense. And an online handbook for consensus procedure, with an extensive bibliography, is available at www.consensus.net.

This article is based on the work of the Alpha Institute (alinst@casco.net) and Building Consensus: Conflict and Unity, by Monteze M. Snyder et al. (Earlham Press).

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