39 Suggestions for Preliminary Survey Questions

as Preparation for Community Visioning Initiatives

(and a beginning database for Questionnaires That Help Build Caring Communities)
[Note: This section is a reproduction of Section 10 in the IPCR document The IPCR Workshop Primer (at http://www.ipcri.net/The_IPCR_Workshop_Primer_Feb_2010.pdf ), and an expansion of Section 9 in an earlier 2 IPCR document 1000Communities (at http://ipcri.net/images/1000Communities2.pdf .]

Introduction
There are many important initiatives which are critical to overcoming the challenges of our times, but which are not quite coming through the mist as much as they should be. The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initiative can be very helpful in exactly these kinds of circumstances, as it encourages and facilitates a constellation of initiatives by which the best (in the view of the participants using these processes) associated with individual spiritual formation, interfaith peacebuilding, community revitalization, ecological sustainability, etc. can bubble up to the surface, be recognized as priorities, and therefore be brought forward as appropriate recipients of peoples time, energy, and money. One of The Eight IPCR Conceptsand thus part of the constellation of initiatives referred to aboveis Questionnaires That Help Build Caring Communities. The description of that concept offered in the document Brief Descriptions of The Eight IPCR Concepts begins as follows: Organizations and communities of people often use questionnaires and surveys to identify problems and solutions, and to build consensus for collective action. Here are some example questions which are designed to be helpful in building caring communities. Hopefully, providing a few examples here will bring forth many more examples, and thus assist in building a resource base for future questionnaires that help build caring communities.. The questions listed in this section (of a larger work-in-progress) are, hopefully, the beginnings of a database of questions that can help build caring communities. In addition, this elemental part of community building can be also understood as one facet of a multi-faceted approach to peacebuilding and community revitalizationwhich is summed up by the section Contributions The IPCR Initiatives Hopes to Make (see subsection D, in Additional Notes at the end of this section). However, the most significant role for these questions, from this writers point of view, is that they are a starting point for creating preliminary surveys, as preparation for Community Visioning Initiatives. The IPCR Initiative document 1000Communities2 is a 161 page proposal which advocates for Community Visioning Initiatives, Community Teaching and Learning Centers, and sister community relationships as a way of generating an exponential increase in our collective capacity to overcome the challenges of our times. Here is an excerpt from the 1000Communities2 document (from p. 47) which highlights the importance of preliminary surveys: This 1000Communities2 proposal includes a 15 Step Outline for a 1000Communities2 Version of a Community (see Section 6). Step 3 of that 15 step outline suggests creating a Preliminary Survey, and sending such a survey to 150 key leaders who represent a variety of fields of activity in the community. Responses and summarized results from Preliminary Surveys will provide:

a) b) c) d) e)

evidence from local leaders of the need for a re-assessment of current priorities examples of local leaders stepping up in support of CVI starting points for public discourse about the importance of the CVI starting points for CTLC workshop content starting points for some participants as they develop Final Version decisions (votes) on challenges, solutions, and action plans f) an aid to mobilizing a high level of interest in the CVI, and a high level of citizen participation g) an initial sense of support or non-support for the sister community element 2 (an action plan which is advocated by the 1000Communities proposal at http://ipcri.net/images/1000Communities2.pdf , see Section 5)

This writer recognizes that many of the questions offered here as suggestions are not easily answered in one sitting. He also recognizes that although most of the key leaders (referred to above) could contribute something as a response to most of the questions, many residents of a given community may not contribute responseseither because it would take too much time, or because the questions explore complex subjects they are not familiar with. It is very important for communities of people to become aware that there are very difficult challenges ahead, and these difficult challenges will require some very significant learning experiences before we are able to resolve them. Refined questionnaires, with questions which most of the residents can quickly respond to, can be developed from responses to preliminary surveys like this one; and the refined questionnaires can do much to maximize citizen interest and participation in integrating new knowledge and new skill sets into the community. People who explore the questions offered here carefully will also discover that there are many questions which touch on the subject of compassion for our fellow human beings. Many questionnaires are noteworthy for what they do not ask. This writer understands that it is now critical for us to access the storehouses of wisdom which have accumulated over the many centuries of human experience, and which have been confirmed again and again as essential to individual well-being and social harmony by the saints, sages, spiritual leaders, and sincere practitioners of all religious, spiritual, and moral world views. A significant number of the questions that follow have been created to assess whether other people see such a critical need, and how such a goal might be accomplished. One of the most persistent ironies in life is that with so many opportunities to provide real assistance to fellow human beingsand with the potential for such assistance to result in happiness to those who extend help as well as to those who receive itthere are still many, many people in this world who cannot find a way to earn a living providing such assistance. Questionnaires can be created which will accumulate information, suggestions, etc. that can be of critical importance in resolving the above mentioned ironyand which can provide the above mentioned assistance to the process of organizing and implementing Community Visioning Initiatives.
[Additional Note: The concept of Questionnaires That Can Help Build Caring Communitiesone of The Eight IPCR Conceptsdeveloped from this writers exploration of Quaker Queries. It is worth including in this section (in the Additional Notes part of this sectionat the end of this section) a description of the IPCR Concept Community Queries (which eventually became Questionnaires That Can.), and some commentary on the subject of Quaker Queries. I highly recommend an exploration of Quaker Queries, especially for people who are interested in the use of questionnaires as a way of building consensus on difficult issues.]

39 Suggestions for Preliminary Survey Questions

1. General Information About the Respondent
Please, if you are willing, and in a way that does not identify you, so that you can remain anonymous a) state your age b) describe where you live (rural area, town, suburb, city), the region you live in (Greater Metropolitan Washington D.C.; southwestern part of Virginia; the mountains of North Carolina; etc.), and include the country you live in (Example: I live in a suburban section of a small town on the outer edge of development associated with the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, in the United States) c) describe your occupation, your way of earning a living, or what you do during the course of any given month which requires the majority of your time d) describe what you do during the course of any given month which you feel is the most important or most fulfilling work you do e) share your reasons for responding to this questionnaire Special Note to Respondents: If you need additional space to fully respond to a question, please use additional sheets of paper. (Additional Note: If you do use additional sheets of paper, please remember to write on the top of the additional sheets of paper Additional Response to Question #__, so the people compiling the results of the survey will be able to document your input.)

2. Home Territory
Please name oneor twocommunities/towns/cities/regional areas which you would identify as your home territory [i.e. where you have the most significant personal reasons for making your home, and living many years of your life (even if you are not currently living there)]. Please list your 5 most significant personal reasons for identifying your home territoryand rank them as most significant, next most significant, etc., using 1 as most significant, 2 as next most significant, and so on.

3. An Initial Assessment
For the questions below, please check the box which best corresponds to the way you view the following statements: a) As a result of the unprecedented opportunities created by the expansion of the Internet, we have now arrived at a very auspicious moment in time for at no other time in the course of history has so many people had access to so much in the way of time-tested guidelines, inspiring role models, and service-oriented initiatives relevant to peace, prosperity, and happiness for all humanity. 1
I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

b) There are countless numbers of things people can do in the everyday circumstances of their lives which will contribute to peacebuilding, community revitalization, and ecological sustainability efforts, in their own communities and regionsand in other parts of the world.2

I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it

I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it

I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it

It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now

I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

c) Even now, as you are reading this, truly inspiring contributions of genuine goodwill are being generated in a variety of waysand in a variety of circumstancesby countless numbers of people in communities around the world.3

I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it

I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it

I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it

It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now

I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

4. Definition of the good life

What is your definition of the good life? Please describe your definition of the good lifeincluding both those parts of the good life which you already have, and those parts of the good life which you still hope to attain. (Note: Please clearly indicate which parts of the good life you already have, and which parts you still hope to attain.)

5. Preferred Providers of Goods, Services, etc.

Who would you identify as your preferred provider in the following areas of life in your community?
[Note: To realize the benefits of this question, it will be sufficient to answer with what first comes to mind for as many categories as you can.]

Building Construction Building Supplies Clothes Manufacturer Communication Services Disaster Relief Education System Development

Health Care Home Furnishings Home Repair Information Services Recycling Religious, Spiritual, and Moral Instruction

Emergency Health Care Energy Production and Distribution Food Distribution Food Processing Food Production Government

Road Building, Maintenance, and Repair Shoemaker Teachers/Educators Transportation Waste Treatment and Disposal Water Purification and Distribution

a) Considering this group of people as a whole, how well do you know the people who you think of as your preferred providers in these areas of your community life? (Please check the appropriate box below
to indicate your answer).

closely connected-many personal relationships

closely connected in some ways

only slightly connected-very few personal relationships

solely as service providers

b) Is the way your preferred providers (as a whole) carry out their responsibilities consistent with your idea of things people can do in the everyday circumstances of their lives which will contribute to peacebuilding, community revitalization, and ecological sustainability efforts in your community and regionand in other parts of the world? (Please check the appropriate box below to indicate your answer).

most of the time

in some ways

almost never

I dont know

6. Most Difficult Challenges, Most Valuable Resources

Included in the Additional Notes (at the end of this section, see subsection A) is a Ten Point Assessment of the Most Difficult Challenges of Our Times. Consider that Ten Point list provided as one example of a response to part a) of this question. Then, following your own independent thinking on this important subject, please respond as best you can to the following questions. a) From your point of view, what are the most difficult challenges of our times? b) Do you believe that wecollectivelyhave the resources necessary to overcome the challenges you have identified as the most difficult challenges of our times? c) If your answer to Question #2 is yes, please describe the resources you believe will contribute the most to helping uscollectivelyovercome the challenges you identified. d) If your answer to Question #2 is no, please offer any and all sincere, constructive, relevant, and practical suggestions for what we collectivelycan do to inspire, encourage, and/or create the resources you believe would be necessary to overcome the challenges you identified.

7. Engines of Economic Stability

Many people seem to be worried that the economy will collapse if there is widespread movement from consuming material goods and ecological resources indiscriminately to discriminating carefully about use of material goods and ecological resources and yet many of the challenges of our times are very deeply rooted in cultural traditions, which suggest that it may require decades, generations, or even centuries to resolve such challenges. Surely, there will be work to do.
Please carefully consider the above introduction to this question, and then respond to the following questions.

a) Please name as many engines of economic stability and methods of economic conversion as you can which you believe would result in communities that minimize resource requirements maintain ecological sustainability maintain a high level of compassion for fellow human beings and which represent what a significant majority of community residents surveyed would describe as a high quality of life. b) Please check the box below which best corresponds to your view of the following statement: It is possible to create, support, and sustain communities which can minimize resource requirements, maintain ecological sustainability, maintain a high level of compassion for fellow human beings and which represent what a significant majority of community residents surveyed would describe as a high quality of life.4

I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it

I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it

I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it

It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now

I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

8. Arriving at Working Definitions of Right Livelihood

Consider what ways of earning a living you would identify as right livelihood. Now imagine a local community resource guide relating to employment, apprenticeships, training, and volunteer opportunities associated with right livelihood. And further: imagine a committee commissioned to produce such a right livelihood resource guide. And the individuals who make up the committee commissioned to produce such a resource guide.

a) What background (qualifications, experiences, etc.) would you like such individuals to have? b) What local institutions would you consider most appropriate to commission such a resource guide, and oversee its production?

9. Identifying Experienced Practitioners, Stakeholders, and People Needing Assistance

Consider the assessment of the most difficult challenges of our times which you created as a response to question #6 part a). a) Who are the Experienced Practitioners, who are most qualified to be educating people on how to successfully overcome each of the ten challenges you identified? (Special Notes: Please be specific, as in times of emergency, it will be most important for leaders to understand which people are perceived as most qualified by the majority of the residents in a particular community. Also, please be straightforward and honest: if you do not know who would be most qualified to respond, please respond accordingly.) b) Who are the Stakeholders (the people who will be affected by the education provided and guidance given by the Experienced Practitioners)? c) Who are the People Needing Assistance (the people who do not know how to respond to the challenges you identified)?

10. Fields of Activity Most Needed to Overcome the Challenges of Our Times
Continue to consider the assessment of the most difficult challenges of our times which you created as a response to question #6 part a). At this time, please also consider the list of 117 related fields of activity which is provided in the Appendix (see Section A). For this question, please circle 20 fields of activity out of the 117 listed which you believe are the fields of activity most needed to overcome the challenges you identified in question #6 part a). (Special Note: The 117 fields of activity listed may not include fields of activity which are relevant to overcoming the challenges you identified in question #6 part a). In every way, please feel assured that the best responses are the ones you choose to make so if you need to identify 20 fields of activity which are not in the list of 117 fields of activity provided, please do so. Only circle fields of activity in the list provided if they express the fields of activity you feel are most needed to overcome the challenges you identified in question #6 part a).)

11. Curriculum Changes in Local Educational Institutions?

Continue to consider the assessment of the most difficult challenges of our times which you created as a response to question #6 part a). For this question, please also consider the 20 fields of activity you identified in question #10. With these considerations in mind, please respond to parts a) and b) below. a) Please check the appropriate boxand also offer comments if you wishto indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statement: The curriculum in our local and regional educational institutions will ______________ for our community to build the knowledge base and skill sets necessary to overcome the challenges of our times.

need to be transformed

need to be modified often

have different view-need to or different way of be modified some understanding our present circumstances

be sufficient as it is

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

b) Please use the scale below and, for each section below, indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: Scale: (3) = high level of agreement (2) = moderate level of agreement (1) = low level of agreement (0) = do not agree with the statement

Creating the knowledge base, skill sets, and the compassion for our fellow human beings necessary to resolve the challenges of our times will require __ __ i) recognizing deficiencies in the knowledge base and skill sets of our communities as they are now ii) recognizing deficiencies in compassion for our fellow human beings

__ __ __ __

iii) curriculum development on the fly iv) teacher training on the fly v) community centers which are neighborhood-friendly, and which provide ongoing workshops which are deliberately affordable vi) encouraging as much formal and informal meetings with other people in the local neighborhoods for discussion, information sharing, mutual support and encouragement, fellowship and friendshipso that the result will include the building of a close-knit community of people with a healthy appreciation for each others strengths, and a well-developed capacity to resolve even the most difficult challenges.

Please use the space below for ways of completing the above statement Creating the knowledge base. which are not listed above, and which you would have the highest level of agreement with. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

12. A Visioning Exercise on the Subject of Educational Institutions

For this question, please consider again the 20 fields of activity you identified in question #10. a) Please describe the kind of educational institution which you believe is most appropriate for creating the knowledge base and skill sets in the 20 fields of activity you identified. (Note: You may describe an educational institution similar to one in your community or region, or create a description of an educational institution which does not currently exist. Either way, please try to include, in your description, answers to the following questions. What would it look like? What would it be called? Where might it be located? What would be essential as structures and departments of such an educational institution? What would be an appropriate land use layout for such an institution?) b) What kind of certification or experience would be required to become an instructor at such an educational institution? c) What kind of appropriate technology would be in use to reduce the ecological footprint and the carbon footprint of building construction, food production, and special materials acquisition?

d) How would such an institution be funded?

13. Making a Community Visioning Initiative Happen in Your Community

For this question, please consider the list A (below) , which offers a brief description of Community Visioning Initiatives, and list B (below), which offers a more specific description of a Community Visioning Initiative, by providing a 15 Step Outline for a comprehensive 18 month long Community Visioning Initiative. List A 1. Well organized efforts to identify problems and brainstorm solutions are a universally recognized approach to problem solving which is commonly used in family, community, business, and government settings in every part of the world. 2. In its most basic format, a Community Visioning Initiative (CVI) is simply a more comprehensive variation of the above mentioned approach to problem solving. 3. Community Visioning Initiatives (CVIs) can be described as a series of community meetings designed to facilitate the process of brainstorming ideas, organizing the ideas into goals, prioritizing the goals, and identifying doable steps. 4. Community Visioning Initiatives (CVIs) are especially useful as a means of increasing or maximizing citizen participation in the planning phase of community revitalization efforts. 5. In 1984, the non-profit organization Chattanooga Venture [Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA)] organized a Community Visioning Initiative that attracted more than 1,700 participants, and produced 40 community goalswhich resulted in the implementation of 223 projects and programs, the creation of 1,300 permanent jobs, and a total financial investment of 793 million dollars.5 List B A 15 Step Outline for a Comprehensive 18 month long Community Visioning Initiative

Step 1 Steering Committee Selection, Administrative Assistant Selection

(and Securing Volunteers for Advisory Board)

Step 2 Initial Preparation Step 3 Preliminary Surveys Step 4 Secondary Preparation Step 5 Workshops, Meetings, and Voting associated with the question:
What are the challenges which require our most immediate attention? (Or What are the challenges with the greatest potential to de-stabilize economic systems, community life, and basic survival in community, regional, national, and international settings?)

Step 6 Workshops, Meetings, and Voting Associated with Prioritizing the List of
Challenges Identified created in Step

Step 7 A Two Week Interval from the Publication of the Challenges Prioritized
Summary List to the Beginning of Step 8

Step 8 Workshops, Meetings, and Voting to Brainstorm Solutions to the Challenges

Prioritized Summary List

Step 9 Workshops, Meetings, and Voting Associated with Prioritizing the List
of Solutions Identified created in Step 8

Step 10 Workshops, Meetings, and Voting Associated with Developing Action Plans
to Implement Prioritizing Solutions

Step 11 A Six Week Interval for Completion of Lists to be Published and Step 12 Summary Presentations and Job Fairs Step 13 Evaluating the Process

Completion of Summary Reports for Upcoming Presentations in Step 12

Step 14 An Eight Week interval for Compiling and Summarizing the Evaluation
Surveysand for Printing the Final CVI Summary Reports

Step 15 Sharing the Lessons, Carrying the Lessons into the Future
This questionquestion #13is about how to make a Community Visioning Initiative happen in your community. Here is the two part question: Consider the elements of preparation, education, funding, and organization necessary for a successful Community Visioning Initiative in your local community or region. a) Describe 3 steps which are practical and doable and which would help make a Community Visioning Initiative more likely to happen in your local community or region. b) Describe 3 obstacles or difficulties which would make a Community Visioning Initiative less likely to happen in your local community or region.

14. Proactive Measures to Encourage Constructive Activity during Community Visioning Initiatives
Consider the following commentary on preparation for carrying out a Community Visioning Initiative. People who are doing preliminary planning for carrying out a Community Visioning Initiative should be aware that there may be people in the community whoregardless of the difficulties and urgencies associated with resolving multiple criseschoose to focus their attention of trying to make money by preying of peoples fears, manipulating peoples trust, and/or encouraging people to abandon hope in higher aspirations, and indulge in unhealthy, or immoral behavior. Such behavior is clearly counterproductive to the building of caring communities; it can be very dangerous for community morale, and it can become a crippling obstacle in times of crises. Responsible people will take sufficient preventative measures to proactively encourage a high percentage of constructive thinking and constructive action in their community. The question: please list at least 5 preventative measures which you believe would proactively encourage a high percentage of constructive thinking and constructive action during the carrying out of a Community Visioning Initiative in your community.

15. Identifying Peacebuilders in Your Community

Who are the most valuable peacebuilders in your local community? Please name 5-10 people you would identify to others as the most valuable peacebuilders. a) Please describe 5 qualities, skills, experiences, knowledge, etc. which you believe are essential to identifying someone as a most valuable peacebuilder?

16. People, Institutions, etc. Which You Personally Place Your Faith In
During the course of any given day, each of us consciously or unconsciously places our faith in a variety of people, institutions, organizations, businesses, beliefs, principles, practices, commonly agreed upon codes of conduct, etc. Consider carefully the things you do in the everyday circumstances of your life and then list 10 people, institutions, etc. which you personally place your faith in. Then, please mark or arrange the list so that #1 is the most significant person, institution, etc which you personally place your faith in, #2 is the second most significant, and so on.

17. Difficult World Conflicts, Difficult Personal Conflicts, and Living Harmoniously
Consider what you believe are the 5 most difficult conflicts in the world today and then consider the 5 most difficult personal relationships you have (relationships which are ongoing, relationships which somehow require your involvement on a regular basis, etc.).

The question: How could the parties associated with the conflicts ultimately be helped so that they could live harmoniously with each other? Please offer any and all responses to this question which you believe might be helpful to other people who might read what you have written.

18. Cultivating Sympathy and Compassion

Please name 5 peoplewho you know personally, and/or who you have been influenced bywho have inspired in you the qualities of sympathy for the suffering of others, and willingness to express compassion in ways which might alleviate some of such suffering. a) What does your local community dospecifically, as a communityto nurture, encourage, support, and inspire-- to cultivate-- such persons, and thus to attract other such people to move into your local community?

19. On the Many Facets of Liberation

Consider the following excerpt from hexagram #40 (Liberation) in The I Ching Workbook by R. L. Wing: You have been liberated from a significant internal problem. Whether it was an unhealthy habit, misguided pattern of behavior, or shortsighted opinion that stifled your growth; or whether it was an unrealistic obsession that consumed your energies, its passing is a permanent improvement in your character.6 The question: What have you been liberated from? [Special Note: Since there is significant emphasis on responses to this questionnaire being anonymous, there is much to be gained if respondents are willing to reveal what might be the most difficult internal problem they have. Many people may have similar internal problems, making it possible for this question to provide useful information about what are common internal problems or many people may have internal problems which have gone unnoticed for a long time by people whose responsibility it is to assess and report on the well being of the community.]

20. On the Subject of Being Grateful for Opportunities

Please consider the following excerpt, from the autobiography of a well-known educator who at the age of 25 founded a university in the United States (a university which is still thriving 128 years later..) The weather during the second winter of our work was very cold. We were not able to provide enough bed-clothes to keep the students warm. In fact, for some time we were not able to provide, except in a

few cases, bedsteads and mattresses of any kind. During the coldest nights I was so troubled about the discomfort of the students that I could not sleep myself. I recall that on several occasions I went in the middle of the night to the shanties occupied by the young men, for the purpose of confronting them. Often I found some of them sitting huddled around a fire, with the one blanket which we had been able to provide wrapped around them, trying in this way to keep warm. During the whole night some of them did not attempt to lie down. One morning, when the night previous had been unusually cold, I asked those of the students in the chapel who thought that they had been frostbitten during the night to raise their hands. Three hands went up. Notwithstanding these experiences, there was almost no complaining on the part of the students. They knew that we were doing the best that we could for them. They were happy in the privilege of being permitted to enjoy any kind of opportunity that would enable them to improve their condition.7 The questions: a) Who was the educator? What was the title of his autobiography? b) Why do you think the students referred to in this excerpt were happy in the privilege of being permitted to enjoy any kind of opportunity that would enable them to improve their condition?

21. Different Degrees of Self-Knowledge and Self-Discipline

Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each of the statements below, by checking the box which best represents your view. a) the instincts are not vague and indefinite by nature, but are specifically formed motive forces which, long before there is any consciousness, and in spite of any degree of consciousness later on, pursue their inherent goals.8
agree agree in some ways disagree in some ways disagree

b) a person is capable of cultivating a certain type of personality by choice and design.9

agree agree in some ways disagree in some ways disagree

22. Putting Truth to the Ultimate Test of the Conduct it Dictates or Inspires10
Consider the following excerpt from a speech given by a Native American named Red Jacket: Brother! You say you have not come to get our land or our money, but to enlighten our minds. I will now tell you that I have been at your meetings and saw you collecting money from the meeting. I cannot tell what this money was intended for, but suppose it was for your minister; and if we should conform to your way of thinking, perhaps you may want some from us. Brother! We are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We will wait a little while, and see what effect your preaching has on them. If we find it does them good and makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said. 11 a) Consider first the people who you feel are religious, spiritual, or moral leaders associated with the values you identify most closely with in your local community. What subjects would you hope they choose as subjects for sermons and discussion? What results would you hope for from such sermons and discussions? b) Now consider the people who you feel are religious, spiritual, or moral leaders associated with the values you feel are most threatening to you? What subjects would you hope they choose as subjects for sermons and discussion? What results would you hope for from such sermons and discussions?

23. Seeking Information About Our Moral Compasses

For the questions below, please check the box (or boxes) which best correspond(s) to the way you view the following statements: a) Theres a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.12
I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

b) We are at a critical point in the evolution of spiritual understanding. 13

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

c) There is a profound and critical need for as many people as possible to be exercising as much love, understanding, and forgiveness as possiblein as many ways as possible.14

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

d) Most people making efforts to realize their spiritual potential need to live in caring communities, so that they can find support from association with kindred spirits.15

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

e) The mariner uses his compass to guide him aright amidst the dark storm clouds and raging waves. When Man is overwhelmed by the dark clouds of despair and the raging confusion of irrepressible desires, he too, has a compass which will point to him the direction he has to take. That compass is a Society that is dedicated to the propagation of Spiritual Discipline.16

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

f) A certain degree of physical comfort is necessary, but the satisfaction of ones physical needs must come at a certain point to a dead stop before it degenerates into physical decadence. 17
agree agree in some ways have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances disagree in some ways disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

g) The most advanced societies are the ones which are successful at integrating spiritual wisdom into the everyday circumstances of community life.18

I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it

I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it

I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it

It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now

I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

24. Global Drugs Trade, Global Arms Tradeand Solutions?

Consider the following excerpt from the World Report of Violence and Health: (Recommendations for Action) (by the World Health Organization, 2002): Summary

The global drugs trade and the global arms trade are integral to violence in both developing and industrialized countries. Even modest progress on either front will contribute to reducing the amount and degree of violence suffered by millions of people. To date, howeverand despite their high profile in the world arenano solutions seem to be in sight for these problems.19 a) Do you believe there are solutions in sight for the above mentioned problems, or do you agree with the authors at the World Health Organization? If you believe there are solutions in sight, please be specific and describe such solutions. Or, if you agree that no solutions seem to be in sight, offer your view on as to why we seem to be at a point where no solutions seem to be in sight for those problems. b) Please check the box (or boxes) which best corresponds to the way you view of the following statement. How much daily contact with the treasured wisdom of religious, spiritual, and moral traditions do you feel people in general would need before we would see noticeable progress on the above mentioned problems (the global drugs trade and the global arms trade)? X
more than is likely to happen a profound increase from current levels a lot more a little more

additional solutions have different will be essential viewor different to make noticeable understanding of progress our present circumstances

c) If you checked boxes X and/or Y, please describe below any solutions to the above two problems (drugs trade and arms trade) which you feel would be helpful contributions to making noticeable progress on resolving these problems. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

25. On Spiritual Friendships and Spiritual Discipline

Consider the following description of Spiritual Friendships (one of The Eight IPCR Concepts): Spiritual Friendships-- Currently, the deepening of spirituality in a caring, accepting environment, mentioned in connection with the faith mentor definition, is most often achieved within the context of specific faith communities, and faith-oriented family environments. This deepening of spirituality in a caring, accepting environment can be deliberately accelerated by the cultivation of Spiritual Friendships. One way of developing Spiritual Friendships is as follows Within a particular faith communityor among people from different religious, spiritual, or moral traditionssmall groups are formed which would include the following three elements: 1) Participants (at least most participants) declare an intention to take a specific step towards achieving a goal associated with their personal spiritual growth (By making such a declaration, participants will thereby be motivated to do their homework before the next meeting that is, they will, by their desire to be true to their wordand by their desire to encourage the integrity of the process as a wholefeel some sense of urgency and responsibility about making an honest effort related to their declaration.) 2) All participants are provided with an opportunity, in a respectful and considerate small group environment, to speak about their efforts they made in the interval between meetings 3) Participants have the right to choose how they will benefit from the small group process (they can choose to speak about their efforts, or choose not to speak about them; they can seek feedback or encouragement, or prefer no response; they can remain silent and listen, etc.) Spiritual Friendships are relationships based on a sense of responsibility and accountability in association with the process of individual spiritual formationand thus inspire, encourage, and support honest efforts associated with specific spiritual goals. The questions: a) If you were participating in a Spiritual Friendship program similar to the one described above, what efforts associated with your personal spiritual growth would you speak about in such a group setting? Please name 5 specific goals associated with your personal spiritual growth, and 1 specific step for each of the 5 goals. [Note: This naming of specific goals and steps may be helpful to respondents, as it may bring to the front of their awareness aspects of their spiritual self which they would most like to improve however, it is also worth noting that such a compilation (from various responses) would also give ideas to people who have not given much thought to this subject before.] b) Would you be interested in participating in a Spiritual Friendships program like this, if it was offered at [please check the boxor boxesthat correspond(s) most closely to your view] Your particular place of worship? I would be willing to help create such a program Definitely Yes Maybe Probably Not Definitely Not

A Neighborhood Community Teaching and Learning Center?

I would be willing to help create such a program

Definitely Yes

Maybe

Probably Not

Definitely Not

the Lifelong Learning Division of a Community College?

I would be willing to help create such a program

Definitely Yes

Maybe

Probably Not

Definitely Not

26. Accountability Indicators

The IPCR Mission Statement (see Section __) contains goals which can be understood as accountability indicators. In other words, one of the basic propositions of The IPCR Initiative is that when groups of people carry out practical applications of The Eight IPCR Concepts, the results will have a positive effect on the goals listed in the Mission Statement (i.e. increase our collective capacity to encourage and inspire individual spiritual formation, reduce the incidence of violence, etc.). Please brainstorm on the subject of what goals you would like your ideal community to have, choose the most important 5-10 goals, and then create an accountability indicator for each goal (i.e. something which is measureable-- or can somehow be substantiated by the observations and experiences of a significant number of people).

27. Accountability IndicatorsPart 2

This question focuses on the creation of accountability indicators, or ways of evaluating whether our efforts to resolve the challenges before us are on the right track or not. This question has two parts. The first part is preceded by a list of goal areas which are offered as appropriate for villages, with some thought to being specifically relevant for villages in less developed areas. The second part of this question is preceded by a list of goal areas which are offered as appropriate for towns and cities, with some thought to being specifically relevant for towns and cities in more developed areas.

Part 1 Below is a list of 10 goal areas which are offered as appropriate for villages which might be thought of as located in less developed areas.20 a) A clean and beautiful environment b) Adequate provision of clean drinking water c) Minimal supplies of clothing d) Adequate and balanced nutrition e) Simple housing f) Basic health care g) Basic communication facilities h) A minimal supply of energy i) Holistic education j) Satisfaction of intellectual and cultural needs Question: Please brainstorm on the subject of what quantifiable benchmark goals or qualitative progress indicators might be used to confirm that efforts being made are on the right track (or signal that efforts being made are on the wrong track).

Part 2 Below is a list of 10 goal areas which are offered as appropriate for towns and cities which might be thought of as located in more developed areas.21 a) Poverty Alleviation job creation/retention job training b) Economic Development enterprise development producer responsibility c) Social Infrastructure and Services education and literacy health food and nutrition public safety crime reduction and prevention d) Environmental Regeneration appropriate technology waste reuse and recycling solid waste management and treatment environmental education/consumer awareness resource conservation e) Physical Infrastructure and Services energy use and production

water transportation/access communication sewage and sanitation f) Natural Hazard Management reconstruction capacity contingency planning g) Housing affordable housing and shelter homelessness h) Land Use and Urban Planning land use regulations land tenure (protection from eminent domain) community based design and planning i) Urban Governance legislation information access j) Social and Cultural Vitality community cooperation social integration cultural expression conflict resolution Question: Please brainstorm on the subject of what quantifiable benchmark goals or qualitative progress indicators might be used to confirm that efforts being made are on the right track (or signal that efforts being made are on the wrong track).

28. Most Difficult Obstacles, Most Valuable Resources

While this question is similar to question #6, it is possible that participants in this questionnaire may have changed some of their thinking in the course of responding to this questionnaire. So this is a variation of question #6, asked here to see if the respondent (you) have clear and consistent ideas on this subject, or if your ideas about challenges and resources are not yet clearly formed. (Note: Again, the best responses are the ones that help you better understand yourselfand the ones which help us better understand ourselves as a whole. The questions: a) What are the most valuable resources in your community? b) What are the most difficult obstacles to realizing the potential of those resources?

29. How Difficult Are the Challenges Ahead?

Overcoming the challenges of our times will require fully utilizing all the knowledge, tools, and resources accessible to us for the highest good possible in every area of capacity building (physical, ecological, medical, spiritual, educational, social, economic, technical, political, etc).22 Please check the box (or boxes) which best correspond(s) to the way you view the above statement:

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

30. Who is Involved When It Comes to Determining the Markets that Supply the Ways of Earning a Living?
Everyone is involved when it comes to determining the markets that supply the ways of making a living.23 Please check the box (or boxes) which best correspond (s) to the way you view the above statement:
I believe it-- and there is much evidence to support it I believe it-- and there is sufficient evidence to support it I would like to believe it, but there isnt enough evidence to support it It is difficult to believe it, with the way things are going now I dont believe it there is no evidence to support it

agree

agree in some ways

have different view-or different way of understanding our present circumstances

disagree in some ways

disagree

Your different view, or different way of understanding our present circumstances: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

31. What are the Most Profound Influences in Life Changing Experiences?
Please describe one of the most meaningful decisions in your life. a) In what ways were you inspired or influenced at the time you made the decision? b) What are the most important factors you consider when making important decisions now, at this particular point in time?

32. Identifying the Most Important Elements of Community Life and Cultural Traditions
In the best of times, even the most profound challenges can be overcome; for in the best of times, ____________________ is/are nurtured, supported, and sustained by family, teachers, mentors, elders, and the everyday influences of community life and cultural traditions. Please brainstorm on the subject of what would best fill in the blank in the above statement. Then choose 5-10 items from the brainstormed list, and rank them according to most important, and next most important, using 1 as most important, 2 as next most important, and so on.

33. Fields of Activity Most Needed to Overcome the Challenges of Our Times
Please consider the list of 117 related fields activity which is provided in the Additional Notes part of this section (see Appendix 1Parts B and C). For this question, please list 20 fields of activity out of the 117 listed which you believe are the fields of activity most needed to overcome the challenges you identified in question #6 part a). (Special Note: The 117 fields of activity listed may not include fields of activity which are relevant to overcoming the challenges you identified in question #6 part a). In every way, please feel assured that the best responses are the ones you choose to make so if you need to identify 20 fields of activity which are not in the list of 117 fields of activity provided here, please do so. Only list fields of activity if they express the fields of activity you feel are most needed to overcome the challenges you identified in question #6 part a).) [Additional Special Note: This question is exactly the same as question #10 (except you are asked to list the fields of activity instead of circling them) however, as a result of responding to this questionnaire, you (and other respondents) may now have different ideas about what the most difficult challenges of our times are, and what fields of activity are most needed to overcome those challenges. ] The questions: a) So if it is at all possible, please consider again how you would respond to question #6 part a). And then list your responses here.

b) And then consider the list of 117 related fields activity which is provided in the Additional Notes part of this section (see subsection C). Then, please list here 20 fields of activity out of the 117 listed which you believe are the fields of activity most needed to overcome the challenges you identified in question #6 part a)or, as noted above, also include other fields of activity which are not listed. Then, put your out of the 117 list, and your personal list, in the space below (remembering to only list a total of 20). (I apologize for the awkwardness of this question I hope to improve it as this work-inprogress goes forward).

34. If Only There Was a Way.

Please complete the following sentence in as many ways as you believe may help others who will read your responses: If only there was a way to ______________________________.

35. The Person Who Will Help Me the Most.

Please complete the following sentence in as many ways as you believe may help others who will read your responses: The person who will help me the most is the person who will _____________________.

36. Suggestions for How to Improve This Questionnaire?

Please suggest any questions which you believe would help this questionnaire achieve the goals mentioned in the introduction1) to be a starting point for the creation of a database of questionnaires that can help build caring communities 2) to be most useful as preparation for carrying out Community Visioning Initiatives.

37. What Questions Were Most Helpful, Most Inspiring, etc.

Please identify which questions were most helpful to you, most inspiring, or which in some way suggested that responses to this questionnaire would be very useful to the process of building caring communities. If possible, explain why or how the question affected you in a positive way.

38. Could This Questionnaire Be Useful As It Is?

Would you recommend this questionnaire as it is, as a preliminary survey, for organizations planning to follow up after the questionnaire with carrying out a Community Visioning Initiative? Why or why not? If your answer is yes, please explain why (why does it work for you?) If your answer is no, whats missing what is needed so that it could put into use?)

39. Additional Comments, Questions, Suggestions, Recommendations?

Please use this space for any comments, questions, suggestions, recommendations, and/or anything else which has been brought forward by participating in this questionnaire.

[Special Note: The Notes and Source References section for this document begins on the next page.]

Notes and Source References

1.-4. By this writer 5. From a 25 page brochure titled Revision 2000: Take Charge Again, received from Chattanooga Venture. This brochure also included a description of the 40 goals created by Chattanooga Vision 2000 (carried out in 1984), a detailed description of meetings and meeting schedules, and an overview How You Can Make A Difference, in a question and answer format. This writer also received from Chattanooga Venture a video, titled A Community With a Vision, which documents the 1984 visioning initiative Vision 2000and a handbook titled The Facilitators Manual, subtitled A Step-by-Step Guide for Groups to: Brainstorm Ideas, Create a Shared Vision, Develop Plans, Make Choices. The statistical information associated with the Chattanooga Vision 2000 process was also cited in the following source: a detailed overview of Chattanooga community revitalization efforts in the Boundary Crossers Case Study titled Chattanooga: The Sustainable City; however, this overview is no longer accessible via the Internet (it was accessible for some time at the website of the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, at the University of Maryland, College Park). Here is a list of other, shorter overviews of the Vision 2000 process: a) Sustainable Communities Network Case Study Chattanooga: A City Worth Watching at http://www.sustainable.org/casestudies/tennessee/TN_af_chattanooga.html ) b) Best Manufacturing Practices Center of Excellence Best Practice: Chattanooga Venture/Community Vision at http://www.bmpcoe.org/bestpractices/internal/chatt/chatt_8.html ) c) Project for Public Spaces The Chattanooga Riverpark: Transforming a City and its Economy at http://www.pps.org/topics/success/success_chatanooga ) d) the University of Michigans Community Economic Adjustment Program A Civic Vignette: The Chattanooga Story at http://www.irlee.umich.edu/ceap/chattanooga.html ) (All confirmed December 25, 2009) There are additional publications which briefly cite the above mentioned statistics, and which are accessible via the Internet. One example is The Next Form of Democracy: How Expert Rule is Giving Way to Shared Governance and why politics will never be the same by Matt Leighninger Vanderbilt University Press 2006 p. 16 (accessible through google books at http://books.google.com/books?id=m_ZF8JZydPQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+next+form+of+demo cracy&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false ) (confirmed December 25, 2009) Special Note: In the above mentioned book The Next Form of Democracy, author Matt Leighninger offers perspective on the astounding success of the Chattanooga Vision 2000 process by including the following commentary: Many other communities followed Chattanoogas example, but many of them stumbled because they failed to keep citizen and community organizations involved in implementing the visions. If a vision did not include measurable benchmarks, and specific commitments by people and organizations, it stood little chance of becoming reality. (p. 16) (And this commentary was footnoted, as a general reference to the book Results That Matter: Improving Communities by Engaging Citizens, Measuring Performance, and Getting Things Done by Paul D. Epstein, et al. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2006)

6. Paraphrase of the section at the bottom of introduction to Hexagram #40 Liberation, in The I
Ching Workbookinterpretation by R.L. Wing Main Street Books 1978

7. From a free access online version of Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington (at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/WASHINGTON/ch11.html ) In Chapter XI Making Their Beds Before They Could Lie In Them (see paragraph 8). For more about Booker T. Washington, see section Community Visioning, Job Fairs, and a Just Transition to More Solution-Oriented Employment in The Twilight of One Era, and the Dawning of Another in Section __ of this IPCR Workshop Primer). 8. Carl Jung in The Portable Jung Edited by Joseph Campbell (translation by R.F.C. Hull) Penguin Books 1976 In section The Concept of the Collective Unconscious (p. 61) 9. Pandit Usharbudh Arya in Mantra and Meditation Himalayan Institute Press 1981 (p. 25) 10. The complete quote is The ultimate test for us of what a truth means is indeed the conduct it dictates or inspires. My first encounter with the partial quote was in Twenty Years at Hull House by Jane Addams (in Chapter 4, The Snare of Preparation); but there it was unattributed. By searching in Google Books, I discovered that it was also quoted by John Dewey in some of his works, and Mr. Dewey attributed it to William James. An accessible source reference then, is William James, in Collected Essays and Reviews Longmans, Green and Company New York 1920 (in Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results, and address given in 1898) (see p. 412 in version accessible through Google Books. 11. Red Jacket (1752-1830), a Chief of the Seneca Tribe, New York State. In Indian Oratory: Famous Speeches by Noted Indian Chieftains by W.C. Vanderwerth University of Oklahoma Press Norman, Oklahoma (see Brother, The Great Spirit Has Made Us All) (accessible through Google Books, see p. 46 for quote) 12. William Shakespeare in the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark From Act V, Scene II; the lines are spoken by Hamlet. 13-15. By this writer 16. Sri Sathya Sai Baba from Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 8, Chpt. 21, p. 108 Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust Prasanthi Nilayam India (Note: Vol. 8 contains discourses delivered by Sri Sathya Sai Baba during 1968) 17. Mahatma Gandhi from Gandhis Swadeshi: The Economics of Permanence by Satish Kumar at http://squat.net/caravan/ICC-en/Krrs-en/ghandi-econ-en.htm (see Paragraph 13 in section Principles of Swadeshi) (Confirmed June 11, 2008)
18. By this writer 19. From the World Report on Violence and Health (World Health Organization

Geneva 2002) in Chapter 9 The Way Forward: Recommendations for Action p. 254 (at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2002/9241545615.pdf) (Confirmed June 11, 2008) 20. From a document at the website for the Sarvodaya Sharamadana Movement (record of document not retained).

21. In June 1996 the second United Nations Conference on Human SettlementsHabitat IIconvened in Istanbul, Turkey. Known as the City Summit, this conference was a forum for over 25,000 political and social leaders to explore urban problems and investigate policies to ameliorate these problems. From article titled Cisneros Announces Winners of National Excellence Awards for Habitat II (at http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/rrr/winners.html ) (confirmed February 14, 2010) In support of this conference and to focus attention of the inherent strengths in our communities, the United States National Preparatory Committee (NPC) for Habitat II sponsored the National Excellence Awards for the City Summit. From U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development archive document Communities at Work: Addressing the Urban Challenge (at http://www.huduser.org/publications/txt/bstprctc.txt ) (Confirmed February 14, 2010) --In letter of introduction from Henry G. Cisneros (then Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Urban Affairs (see paragraph 2) The actual indicators associated with this footnote were selected from the written materials supplied to people who wished to submit a description of a project and nominate that project for an award. (Note: This writer does not know where those particular written materials are now; however, most of the indicator criteria is included in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development archive document Communities at Work: Addressing the Urban Challenge (at http://www.huduser.org/publications/txt/bstprctc.txt ) The following quote is also from this source. (Confirmed February 20, 2010) Issue Areas Because one of the barriers to urban problems solving has been the fragmentation and isolation of issue areas, the NPC encourages the submission of innovations that integrate areas of basic community concerns. 22-23. By this writer

Additional Notes
On the Subject of Quaker Queries 1) Below is a description of the community building concept Community Queries, a concept which eventually became Questionnaires That Can Help Build Caring Communities (this description is also in the Spring, 2005 issue of The IPCR Journal/Newsletter) "Community Queries" The concept of "Community Queries" introduced here is simply an expansion of the use of "Queries" by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), so that the concept applies to the geographical area sense and the most inclusive sense of the word "community." Here are 13

specific examples of "Queries" (from sets of queries used by three different Quaker meetings): 1) "Does our Meeting prepare all its members and children for worship, and for a life consistent with the principles of the Religious Society of Friends?" 2) "Do you seek employment consistent with your beliefs, and in service to society?" 3) "Do you weigh your day-to-day activities for their effect on peace-keeping, conflict resolution and the elimination of violence?" 4) "Are you concerned for responsible use of natural resources and their nurture for future generations?" 5) "Do you try to avoid wasteful consumption and pollution?" 6) "Are you working towards the removal of social injustices? Have you attempted to examine their causes objectively, and are you ready to abandon old prejudices and think again?" 7) "Do any of your interests, important though they may appear to you, unduly absorb your time and energy to the hindrance of your growth in grace and of your service to God?" 8) "Are you loyal to the truth?" 9) "When pressure is brought to bear upon you to lower your standards, are you prepared to resist it?" 10) "Do all adults and children in our Meeting receive our loving care and encouragement to share in the life of our Meeting, and to live as Friends?" 11) "When a members conduct or manner of living gives cause for concern, how does the Meeting respond?" 12) "Are you sufficiently conversant with our Christian Discipline to be able, when difficult questions arise, to consider them with an informed mind as well as a loving and tender spirit?" 13) "Do you live in accordance with your spiritual convictions?" Surely, it would be a valuable exercise for any local community, faith community, nonprofit human service organization, etc. to invite all residents, members, employees, participants, etc. (as appropriate to the nature of the "community") to become involved in the process of creating a set of "Queries" for that particular community of people. Special Note on Sources: The Sources for the 13 examples of "Queries" listed above are provided at the end of this section, (see next page).

2) Commentary on Quaker Queries from The Co-Intelligence Institute (see http://www.cointelligence.org/QuakerQueries.html ) Quaker's often use what they call "queries" as a focus for individual and collective meditation, consideration and prayer, guiding Quaker seekers in their search for greater love, truth, and insight into how to serve humanity and live lives that are consistent with their core values. Queries can be selfcreated, group-created, or drawn up by higher Quaker authorities as official mandates for exploration. They are intended as questions to live with and into. At a personal level, queries can be used to probe-in-depth into some issue or concern, seeking the truth of one's deepest responses to it. One writer suggests: The object is to stir the conscience in a gentle but firm way, and, through self-examination, to bring about a change or reaffirmation of attitude or behavior. Others describe a query as a way of opening themselves to divine guidance and transformation which, as in other forms of earnest prayer, can happen instantly. In some Quaker traditions, the queries are used collectively to derive a sense of the meeting, an explicit, shared awareness of where they are at as a spiritual community of seekers, how they are doing, where they have fallen short, or where they want to go. Sometimes Quaker meetings (which are organizationally analogous to churches or temples) will share with each other their communal responses to the same queries, seeking support from each other in living more Quakerly lives.

Queries, suggests Quaker lecturer Martin Grundy, can provide an occasion to take a piece of the spiritual life of the meeting and examine -- wrestle with -- our understanding of how we are called to live as Friends,.... an opportunity for a corporate discipline of paying attention to what God might have to teach us.... Careful and prayerful consideration of the queries can be the outward structure that melds the individuals and the faith community.... [providing] a checklist of how faithful we are as we trudge along on our journey, together. Source References for above cited Queries 1) From the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice In Section Queries, subsection 3 Spiritual, Nurture, Ministry and Religious Education (see paragraph 3) (at http://www.pym.org/publish/fnp/10_queries.php ) (Confirmed January 24, 2010) 2) From the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice in Part II The Queries, refer to the1988 Faith and Practice Queries, Section 5 Personal Way of Life (in paragraph 3) (at http://www.bymrsf.org/quakers/pubs/FaithNPractice/fnp4.html#IIB5 ) (Confirmed January 24, 2010) 3) From the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice in Part II The Queries, refer to the1988 Faith and Practice Queries, Section 10 The Peace Testimony (in paragraph 1) http://www.bymrsf.org/quakers/pubs/FaithNPractice/fnp4.html#IIB10 ) 4) and 5) From the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice in Part II The Queries, refer to the1988 Faith and Practice Queries, Section 12 The Environment (in paragraph 1 http://www.bymrsf.org/quakers/pubs/FaithNPractice/fnp4.html#IIB12 6) From Quakers Australia Handbook of Practices and Procedures (Current Edition; 5 th Edition, 2005) In Section 12.3 Advices and Queries; see Subsection 12.3.2 Queries (#20 on p. 76) http://quakers.org.au/associations/7464/files/Handbook_5th_ed.pdf 7) From Quakers Australia Handbook of Practices and Procedures (Current Edition; 5 th Edition, 2005) In Section 12.3 Advices and Queries; see Subsection 12.3.2 Queries (#18 on p. 76) http://quakers.org.au/associations/7464/files/Handbook_5th_ed.pdf 8) From Quakers Australia Handbook of Practices and Procedures (Current Edition; 5 th Edition, 2005) In Section 12.3 Advices and Queries; see Subsection 12.3.2 Queries (#12 on p. 75) http://quakers.org.au/associations/7464/files/Handbook_5th_ed.pdf 9) From Quakers Australia Handbook of Practices and Procedures (Current Edition; 5 th Edition, 2005) In Section 12.3 Advices and Queries; see Subsection 12.3.2 Queries (#17 on p. 76) http://quakers.org.au/associations/7464/files/Handbook_5th_ed.pdf 10) and 11) From the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice In Section Queries, subsection 4 Care for the Meeting Community, part A Care for One Another (see paragraphs 3 and 4) (at http://www.pym.org/publish/fnp/10_queries.php ) (Confirmed January 24, 2010)

12) From Quakers Australia Handbook of Practices and Procedures (Current Edition; 5 th Edition, 2005) In Section 12.3 Advices and Queries; see Subsection 12.3.2 Queries (#8 on p. 75) http://quakers.org.au/associations/7464/files/Handbook_5th_ed.pdf 13) From the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice in Part II The Queries, refer to the1988 Faith and Practice Queries, Section 5 Personal Way of Life (in paragraph 1) (at http://www.bymrsf.org/quakers/pubs/FaithNPractice/fnp4.html#IIB5 ) (Confirmed January 24, 2010)