*Meeting for Sufferings*

2 February 2019

Henry S. Thompson, SE Scotland AM representative

All the papers for the meeting are available online at

  http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2019-02-agenda--papers-packagev4

The minutes and other follow-up material are available from

  https://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/mfs-2018-11-follow-up-packagev1

[Yes, that link looks wrong, but as of today it does produce the
February meeting minutes]

*Sustainability*

We agreed Terms of Reference for a new Meeting for Sufferings
Sustainability Monitoring Group to be "responsible for monitoring the
Yearly Meeting’s commitment to Sustainability".

*Post-truth world*

In response to a concern about this matter from Southern Marches Area
Meeting, MfS had asked for input from Area Meetings, which was patchy
and equivocal: not so much that this was a problem, and one that
concerns us, but more that we have neither the capacity nor the
insight necessary to intervene as a Society.  A very useful list of
organisations who _are_ active in relevant ways was included as an
appendix to the item (see link above).

Gandi: "Truthfulness is even more important that peacefulness.  Indeed
lying is the mother of violence".

Finding the courage to challenge lies is hard enough to do in person,
it's even harder to do on social media, where the response may well be
both many-fold and obnoxious, the latter particularly in response to
challenges from women.

Can we find ways to provide safe online spaces, perhaps taking EAPPI
as a model?

We agreed that we would not suggest any new "committee or programme of
work" at this time.

*Yearly Meeting*

YM is in London 24--27 May.  Registration is open

  https://forms.quaker.org.uk/ym/

Not required, but helps planning local arrangements.

Clare Scott-Booth (new YM Clerk) introduced the agenda, see

  http://www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-events/ym

The theme this year is "privilege and assumptions of privilege".