Day 27 - imperfect institutions

We gathered this morning for Quaker  worship, my colleague making a point of us moving chairs to allow all into the circle. My Swedish colleague commented afterwards that although we had been on a roller coaster we were surely 'on the up' for the beginning of the last day. I said to him: 'that's what you thought at the start of Wednesday and look what happened'. 

My retort turned out to be prescient. Within 30 minutes of the worship in community and equality the whole WCC leadership walked out saying that they were cancelling the last day if business and that they would be writing to our Heads of Churches. 

An unfortunate incident of misunderstanding after 4 days of frustrated exchanges had been taken as a racial slur and they weren't even prepared to hear the other side of the story. 

You could have heard a pin drop. There were tears and pain and anger. Later they returned to say they were prepared to hear our collective apology and after that they declared they were prepared to work with us again. It felt extremely patronising and I am still angry about it. 

As I walked out after that day, which had returned us to an 'us and them' mentality in one stroke, which had broken all the trust we had built all week, I went to meet my old university friend where she works at the WHO. I walked past the UN school, and the continuous one person protest against the WHO (they accuse them of covering up the numbers affected by the Chernobyl and Fukashima). As I approached the swanky imposing building I had a deep sense of moving from one imperfect institution to another. Imperfect institutions, full of imperfect people, trying to do the impossible in an imperfect world.

I wish I had more grace for those involved.

Even after 24hrs with my friend, tackling these big issues, wringing our hands at how best we can make a difference in this world; even after the wonderful soak in the 'thermes' - the jacuzzi and the steam room and the sauna, I am still disturbed but it all.