Robust Debates Related to the Organization and Planning of Community Events
Maintaining social cohesion in a highly diversified community is always a challenge. Indeed Robert Putman’s pivotal research and publication on social cohesion (See Bowling Alone) described how activities such as bowling leagues and community choirs struggled to continue to exist as neighbourhoods and communities became more diversified. Today this would include stratification and difference in terms of wealth, status and power that are sometimes but not always related to culture of origin, formal education, religion, language, accents, race, ethnicity, profession, pigmentation, image-management, level of conspicuous consumption, renters or home owners, urban or rural . . . The invisible backpack of privilege has changed its contents and maybe even its bearers. Terms such as academic capital, cultural capital, social capital are also relevant in this conversation.
For some who long for the Golden Age of Bowling and Community Choirs and Bands of the period preceding the 1960s (? ) the dream includes a return to homogeneous communities by assimilating diversity. Aspects of this homogeneous culture of unity-in-sameness include the adoption of one set of civic (if not moral, political, economic) values. But even this becomes elusive as each moral code is scrutinized through multiple, distinct and different points of view.
There has been an urgent call for robust conversation in civil society which would provide a process for examining different perspectives.
One of the most useful tools in working towards social cohesion in a diverse community is a unique process of consultation initiating with and described in Baha’i teachings designed for this period of the shrinking globe phenomenon where cultures are coming closer and closer together. The process of Baha’i consultation deals explicitly and in an systematic way with extracting and mobilizing the energy from the power of different opinions rather than attempting to suppress them, at all levels of decision-making from the smallest family unit to the global community.
Brilliant Light Comes from Collision of Thoughts
So they (members) must confer and consult in such a way that neither disagreement nor abhorrence may occur. When meeting for consultation, each must use perfect liberty in stating his views and unveiling the proof of his demonstration. If another contradicts him, he must not become excited because if there be no investigation or verification of questions and matters, the agreeable view will not be discovered neither understood. The brilliant light which comes from the collision of thoughts is the “lightener” of facts. If all views are in harmony at the end of a conference, it will be excellent; but if, God forbid! disagreement occurs, then the decision must be according to the greater number in harmony. If, after reaching the result, one or other of the members does not agree with it, neither of the other members nor any one must argue with or reproach him, but keep silence; then they will write to this Servant. (Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 406)
