<div dir="ltr">Thank you Charles, nice analogy.<div><br></div><div>Now,</div><div><br></div><div>May the light shine on our young group.</div><div><br></div><div>Best to you,</div><div>Sandy</div></div><div class="gmail_extra">
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 8:56 AM, Charles Cresson Wood <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ccwood@ix.netcom.com" target="_blank">ccwood@ix.netcom.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Hello community rights and anti-fracking friends,<br>
<br>
I have been saddened by a number of disputes recently that imply that something is seriously wrong, the group or a specific individual is acting dictatorially, that the group is unfair, or that the group is in some way is falling short of expectations about where it should be. For all of us, there can be a rush to condemnation and judgment without a full investigation of the facts, without taking the time to find out what really is going on. Such a response can come easily because we are under a lot of time pressure, we are required to do a lot of work, and at least so far, there is no structure with which to hold our work. But such responses can also indicate where a change is in order. But the type of change may not be the one that we initially expected.<br>
<br>
I suggest that this group is just a budding shoot of an organization. It has just lifted it's green shoot above the ground (note: I'm not making reference to Obama's mythical economic "green shoots" -- I'm talking about a newly planted spring plant that just popped up above the ground). Are we going to condemn this fragile and young plant because it has not yet lived up to our expectations? What's the matter with it - it has not yet bloomed! But I think the bloom should be purple, and it's not! Something serious must be wrong here... Worse yet, are we going to pull this plant up by the roots, and in the process kill it, by expectations that have run away with us?<br>
<br>
Or are we going to nurture this very young organization? Are we going to give it our best knowing that it cannot yet give back? Are we going to embrace the reality that it cannot give us all of what we want, at least not yet? The organization hasn't even been truly created yet. We have no formal organizational structure, we have no policies or procedures, and we have no approved conflict resolution process. About all we do have is a some designated team point persons, some teams, and a draft referendum.<br>
<br>
This plant of an organization is still very young. It needs our nurturing to become strong, big, and significant in the world. Can we give to this effort for a while, without demanding that we receive back, and without demanding that we receive in the way we think we should receive? There will be a period of simply giving... we have to go through that period before significant results can be achieved. I invite you to, for a while, simply work with me without the demand to receive anything back. Join me as we tend the plant (our fledgling organization), help us to water it, fertilize it, clear away the weeds, and do what we need to do in order that it can flourish.<br>
<br>
/s/ Charles<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
crn mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:crn@lists.mcn.org">crn@lists.mcn.org</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.mcn.org/mailman/listinfo/crn" target="_blank">http://lists.mcn.org/mailman/listinfo/crn</a><br>
</blockquote></div><br></div>