In this chapter we find out about the council, which is the Minimte form of government, where decisions are being taken regarding the amount of technology that should be used. The council takes into consideration the group’s needs, but its decisions are of course very much guided by the religious belief of “willingness” or “self-surrender”. Keeping the quietness, mindfulness and perceptivity, away from the impulse or irrationality of the modern world is essential to preserving this community. Issues ranging from the use of the telephone to land speculation and its aggressive purchase are being discussed here.
Finding out that educated but extreme Edward Pendleton, who is very convinced that the Minimite way is the only answer, Eric and Mary decide to keep an open mind and explore other options of living areas. I am happy to see that upon Eric’s mom’s suggestion, they are able to find a nice place near Topeka, that had some of the attributes they were seeking: quietness and social cohesion. Since there was no college here where Eric could teach for a living, maybe he would be able to use some of the skills he learned from living with the Minimites instead.
2 comments:
I'm wondering if this is the reason why they finally decide to leave towards the end of the book. What kind of decisions does the Council make? Do they get to decide who is allowed to join the community or who isn't? It seemed like the Miller's weren't exactly traditional Minimites and were allowed to stay and participate.
I don't think they get to decide who goes and who stays, thy always seem so helpful, but they might make it harder for some that are not considered to have what it takes (such as Bill that also left)
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