I need to get my hands dirty with composted soil working in the sun room garden tomorrow. I worked today on the draft of the new article about the The Militarization of Catholic Jesuit University Education, but that not is why I need to get grounded in the soil of salvation. It is because I went, at a friend’s request, to a membership meeting of Peace Action tonight.
The important votes, like electing the steering committee members, were done by consensus but the insignificant vote of changing the by-laws to add term limits, went on and on. A small group of the present steering committee fought hard to delay or derail the vote by the membership. They basically tried to “filibuster the vote”. Finally, one of the founding members spoke and said this vote was not that significant and the members should be allowed to vote. Although many members had left by the time of this vote the term limit vote won by 2–1.
Now I know why eight staff members have resigned or been fired from Peace Action over the last year or so of the present board. Now I know why some past and present staff members had asked me to attend and be nominated for the steering committee.
Also I realize why normally I do not go to such meetings which are more about power struggles over petty items and keeping control rather than action for peace. The slate, including myself, was elected by unanimous consent of those left in the room. How long I last on the board will be determined by how much healing soil I get in my body and whether the steering meeting can move from talk and talk to action.
After the presentation on a Conversation Between St. Ignatius of Loyola and Mahatma Gandhi at the Peace and Justice Studies Association, a Gandhi scholar from India spoke and said how in all the many writings of Mahatma Gandhi he rarely used the word “peace”. Now I understand why. It is easy to talk and talk about peace but it is difficult to “live the message”. as those tonight who tried to deride the vote on term limits and those of us who reacted, proved.
Perhaps for my first board meeting of Peace Action, I should take along a pound of composted soil to keep my hands in it. If that does not work and I still react to the talk and talk and no action of old committee members, perhaps I should resign.
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