College is a good lifestyle choice.
The vegetarian cooperative residence hall is governed by consensus. They do not vote. There is no majority rule. Before a decision is made, everyone has to agree.
There are decisions about how many avocados they need and which kind of ice cream to order. As a result, the meetings often last hours.
The Quakers use a similar method, described in a book called "Beyond Majority Rule: Voteless Decisions in the Religious Society of Friends." The idea is that everyone shares in the experience. Concerns and information are shared until the sense of the group is clear. This builds a sense of community and allows everyone to be part of the decision-making process.
I was reminded of this recently, on a day when snow dusted our foothills. Under the mountain named for Gabriel near the crest of angels, my friends and I continued, bit-by-bit, to read an ancient text.
The text was a small but important part of the Book of Exodus. It was called "Yitro," which means "Jethro" in English.
The scene: Moses and his people are on the other side of the Red Sea. It is after the Exodus from Egypt.
In the first half of the text, Jethro, the father-in-law, gives advice to Moses. Jethro notices that people are waiting in long lines to see Moses because Moses is doing it all. He decides every inquiry and every disputed case. The people wait for hours at a time for their audience with Moses.
Jethro suggests that Moses establish a system of lower courts to settle community and religious disputes. He instructs Moses to delegate his authority to judicial officers, but to save the few important decisions for himself.
