Letters - 19 April 2019

From divine choice to Europe

A divine choice

I am setting myself a task. From each issue of the Friend I intend to single out a phrase or idea that helps one’s quest towards wholeness. Harvey Gillman’s ‘divine commonwealth’ (12 April) is the opening choice.

The phrase suggests continuity between all spiritual beings in the ocean of consciousness in which we find ourselves. In Meeting, our spiritual selves reach out to make contact with the rest of this commonwealth.

Moving away from ‘God’ the spiritual universe becomes democratic and levelling, while retaining the whole as being greater than the sum of the parts.

Those who have been in a near death situation have experienced ‘the peace… which passeth all understanding’/ ‘the peace that the world cannot give’. Such experiences point to the relief to be felt one day when we discard carnal problems and move on to coalesce with the rest of the commonwealth ‘out there’.

Thank you Harvey for that helpful and unifying thought.

Peter Boyce

Holding to account

I am confused! Did David Logan, author of the book on business reviewed in the 22 March edition, really leave out the whole of that section of business that is employee owned, in partnership or – in our belief the best kind of business – in common ownership? As a Quaker he should have known Scott Bader. Or was it Daniel Clarke Flynn who has ignored it?

Scott Bader was founded in 1921, and in 1951 the shares were lodged with the Charity Commission to prevent anyone making money by selling others’ livelihood, while the responsibility for the shares was given to those who worked in the company.

The business holds the first Common Ownership Certificate, and is now active around the world, competing with corporate capitalism without fear of being taken over. Of course the company must remain profitable, but this is done without the inhuman, unethical processes that so many large companies practice.

Members hold management to account, to make the better, more viable world we desperately need.

Godric Bader and Anne Atkinson-Clark

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