Cornerstone No. 191, page 9
regrets. Life for me is a blend of seriousness and humour, sense and nonsense,
sacred moments and comic interludes.
During the seventh grinding week of the peace negotiations that finally led up
to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Senator George Mitchell, the
American mediator, who was commuting weekly between Ireland and America,
one Monday surprised those present, by saying, “This morning I want us to talk
to each other about things other than politics. Over a cup of coffee, let us see
if we can just have a good time together.” The conversation turned to fishing,
family, sports, and the weather.
When someone mentioned opera, Senator Mitchell interjected. “I love listening
to opera. When I return to America and put on
, I know Rodolfo is
going to sing the same words every time. That prepares me for my return to
Belfast, because the one thing I know is that I’m going to sit here and listen to
you guys saying the same thing over and over again.” The representatives on
both sides actually laughed. That light-hearted remark helped break the
deadlock between long-time antagonists.
To help commissioners distinguish between ministers and elders present at the
General Assembly, an elder once proposed that the ministers present should all
wear clerical collars. The motion resulted in a very heated debate. A humorous
remark by another commissioner finally eased the tension “Can I suggest that
a good way to distinguish the elders from ministers, is to note who pays for the
coffees at the coffee breaks. It is almost always the elders!”
In church life as well as political life, a light-hearted remark often achieves far
more than criticism. We rightly speak of a saving sense of humour.
From
the magazine of the Church of Scotland