Whether you have embraced today’s new technologies or are still resisting the siren’s song likely depends on the age cohort you are in. At both Intermountain Yearly Meeting and Friends General Conference last summer, it was clear that the organizers assumed that all participants would be using smart phones or other devices to access the daily schedules online. Although some older Quakers didn’t have smart devices, it seems that the tendency among Friends now is to assume that people should be technologically savvy.
We are in a liminal period, a transitional time between the information technology stage and the artificial intelligence stage of our culture. An in-between time like this can be scary. Many of us haven’t even come to grips with the technology stage, and here we are entering another time of disruption.
Overall, it’s clear that technology is having profound effects on all aspects of society, including communications, economics, public health, culture, and politics. Therefore, it is essential for us as citizens of this world to understand the implications of technological innovation.
The current age of technology has opened a wealth of opportunities for effective collaboration, no matter the size or location of the team. Cloud-based document sharing services, group messaging applications, online white boarding platforms, video conferencing technologies, and task-tracking tools are all invaluable resources for teams looking to work together more efficiently. When used properly, these powerful tools can help teams to make decisions quicker and with greater confidence by seeming to eliminate the distance between collaborators working in locations around the world.
In addition to eliminating tedious tasks, technology simplifies workflows by streamlining processes such as scheduling meetings and gathering feedback from participants. With video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, participants can get together virtually – without having to coordinate travel or book conference rooms. Similarly, online surveys allow for instant collection of participants’ opinions. Again, these allow leaders to make better decisions more quickly than ever before. All that said, making speedy decisions is rarely a top priority for Quakers.
New technologies have also transformed the process of decision-making at the personal level. With the increased availability and sophistication of devices to access the global wealth of human knowledge, personal decision-making no longer relies solely on the individual’s intuition and experiences. Web-based technologies can be incredibly helpful, but they also come with their own unique set of challenges. The younger generations have integrated these technologies into their lives so thoroughly that they can’t live without them. Our older cohorts are still struggling to understand why and how much they should change.
Many older Friends are still resisting full immersion into new technologies. Even so, most seem to have adapted to the practice of attending committee meetings by teleconference, rather than traveling for a day to get to a face-to-face meeting. We seem to have accepted online meetings as our contribution against global warming. However, we continued to fight against embracing other innovative technologies in our decision making, like the online polls and surveys used commonly in many workplace settings.
The Quaker process of decision-making by seeking “the sense of the meeting” has been in place since 1652 and has stood the test of time. Quakers have used this process to make decisions big and small, from how to respond to social injustice to where to go for lunch. The process is a powerful tool for making decisions in a way that respects the conscience of all involved. It is rooted in spiritual practices of discernment and silent worship, and it emphasizes the search for unity among members, allowing them to find a collective will, despite differences in opinion. At the heart of the process is an understanding that all participants should be heard and respected equally.
This method encourages members to draw on their individual experiences and knowledge when making decisions. By considering each person’s perspective, it allows for greater understanding and respect among people with different backgrounds and opinions as they work to find common ground.
The Quaker process of decision-making fits within a larger field of consensus-based decision-making processes, which are found in many cultures and contexts. The Quaker version has its roots in the Protestant Reformation and the Puritan movement of the 16th century. This period saw a rejection of established church authority, an emphasis on personal religious experience, and a renewed focus on spiritual purity. George Fox had a conversion experience that prompted him to call for a return to primitive Christianity, which he believed to be free from ceremonies and hierarchical structures. He advocated that people should seek God individually through silent waiting. The commitment to silent worship within the Quaker tradition empowers each member to share their individual experience of God as an essential part of collective decisions.
By emphasizing self-improvement over outward rituals, Quakers created an ethos that can still serve as a guide for individuals navigating modern life. Today’s Quakers continue to practice discernment through silent worship and business meetings, where members carefully listen to each other before making collective decisions together.
It is clear to me that Quakers who are older will continue to resist the technological changes of our time. But just as early Quakers adapted their faith to meet changing conditions, today’s Quakers will also. Younger members will bring older members along with them into the age of new technology. Simply by assuming that everyone attending an event is computer literate and has a smart device, younger members are steering older members into new ways of thinking. Older Quakers might not want to accept certain changes, but they must adapt or be left behind. And as all of us rely on our traditional practices of seeking unity among ourselves, we can rely on our more technologically comfortable Friends to help the rest of us find ways to participate in this new environment.
As we navigate the current liminal period – between the “technology stage” and “artificial intelligence stage,” Quakers can expect additional challenges. Even so, I am confident that our process of discernment and our seeking of spiritual unity will continue to provide us with the answers we need to meet the challenges we face.
Bob Barnard (he/him) is a member of Las Cruces Monthly Meeting in New Mexico. He is a blogger, a freelance writer, and keeps himself in service to Intermountain Yearly Meeting. He has lived in many parts of the country and witnessed firsthand the integration of Little Rock High School. He is a father, grandfather, and great grandfather.