'In the afternoon, following an enjoyable walk in the forest, then coffee and cake, we attended a selection of workshops comprising altogether six speakers.' Photo: Nejc Košir / pexels.com.
'In the afternoon, following an enjoyable walk in the forest, then coffee and cake, we attended a selection of workshops comprising altogether six speakers.' Photo: Nejc Košir / pexels.com.
Borders Meeting, which includes Quakers from Germany, France, the Benelux countries, Switzerland, Ireland and UK, was held in the youth academy at Walberberg near Cologne on 7-9 September. The subject for our gathering was: ‘The Testimony of Equality.’ There is only one fundamental testimony for Quakers. There is that of God in all persons; therefore, it is an inescapable truth that to God all peoples are equal. This belief has led Friends throughout the years to work for a more just society. Where do we stand today?
Stefan Mann, our first speaker, talked on the subject ‘From Hierarchy to Equality’. Coming from a privileged background, he said, made it hard for him to practise egalitarian ideals. Even when working for some time in communist East Germany, here too he was regarded as a member of the elite. He thought that absolute equality in society could never be achieved, but that we should work towards less inequality. Recalling the experiences of his life, he realised he was ‘nicely placed high up on the ladder of social hierarchy’. After the talk, small groups were created to consider ten questions about aspects of inequality and equality. After hearing the discussion, we moved round to another group that we were interested in.
In the afternoon, following an enjoyable walk in the forest, then coffee and cake, we attended a selection of workshops comprising altogether six speakers.
Martin Touwen spoke on the spiritual roots of the testimony of equality. Everyone has the capacity to be the vessel of God’s word. He quoted Quaker Quest: ‘No one is perfect, we are all incomplete, unfinished humans… we come to worship to grow in wholeness.’
Andrew Lane and Kate McNally, from the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA), led a racism awareness workshop. We shared experiences in pairs: ‘We all know racism is bad. What if we are part of systems of injustice that we cannot see because they have become so normal?’
Kajo Mentges spoke about poverty in Germany. Statistics showed that by 2015 not only the economic power of Germany, but its poverty had increased as well. As wealth increases, so does poverty.
Jenny Helstrother, an economics lecturer and researcher, asked what do we mean by inequality? She then demonstrated by a series of graphs and charts that inequality has its cost. Societies that suffer a great deal of inequality suffer more crime, greater ill health and higher mortality rates, while those countries that are more equal are happier and more successful.
Tony Weekes provided a succinct critique of neoliberalism, which he defined, then unpacked some of the terms and ideas. A new normal has been created – a diminishing share of national income going to those in employment, profits going to directors and shareholders, tax cuts going to those who do not need them, debt increasing and government spending less on the needs of the poor, leading to greater inequalities.
Phil Gaskell spoke about his experiences growing up gay. We are brought up with expectations of life. However, for some people such as him, life turns out to be totally different. He said: ‘Can you imagine what it is like to grow up in a society that continually tells you that you should not be the person that you know yourself to be?’
On Sunday morning Kurt Strauss gave his thoughts on the testimony of equality. He said: ‘If you believe, as I do, that we are all children of God… Firstly, everyone is equally deserving of our respect. Secondly, everyone should be given the same opportunities. Thirdly, no one should be discriminated against… We should all love each of our fellows as we love ourselves.’
There were plenty of opportunities for social contact – at meal times, walks in the surrounding forest, an evening social, and the ‘equality bar’ where drinks for all tastes were served.
Borders Meeting is fun and a good opportunity to meet Quakers from other European Yearly Meetings. This was my second Borders Meeting and it is good to see the people I met last year and to have friendly contact with Quakers I had not met before. At this time, when Britain is leaving the European Union, it is important that we maintain and renew our contacts with Quakers and peoples of goodwill in Europe.
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