Focus on the Big PictureEd. Note: The following was originally posted on the M-Grapevine e-list. The author wrote it in response to a suggestion that he run for AMC office. We thank the author for his permission to reprint it here.I LocSeced for three years in Chicago (and yes, I do pronounce it as if it's the first two syllables of "Local Secretary" truncated, long "o," short "e," just like god intended), and though I loved doing it, I was definitely ready for a break by the end of my third year. It was never the work of BEING the LocSec that got to me; I loved running the meetings, chatting up volunteers, writing my newsletter column every month, organizing events and inspiring others to do the same. It was all the folderol that certain others kept trying to MAKE my job, based on their vision of what Mensa should be. And by "vision," I think I mean "pathology." I am SO much not in tune with what seems to be the thrust of the current AMC, that of codifying and standardizing and rulemaking. Sorry for tarring with such a broad brush, because I count many current AMC members and committee appointees as good friends, but do we really need more rules to make sure that every gnat's eyelash has the correct amount of mascara. Especially when the impact of all this seems to be so lopsidedly negative? Losing good volunteers? Casting a cloud of suspicion over seemingly retroactive rulemaking? Creating busywork/paperwork? Creating dependencies on our paid staff even when we have volunteers willing to do it, freely and lovingly? Trying to make collegial relationships into reporting relationships? Feh. My biggest objection, and I've said this a few times before so I apologize if I'm repeating myself, is not really to what TPTB [The Powers That Be] are doing; it's that they're doing all this seemingly small crap when in my mind they should be focusing on things much bigger and more important. Where we're spending our time, as the AMC and often our whole society in general, is focusing on the picayune and silly rather than bigger, better, bolder things. There's an incredible opportunity cost here, and I don't see an end in sight to us paying it through our lack of focus on what's REALLY important. Is Mensa as a society going to thrive because we have the best darn Minimum Standard Bylaws on the planet? Because we've cast out a few dissident members? Because we're making sure that we're fully insured and avoiding risk in every thing that we do? No, no, no. It'll be because we have so many good events (both local and national), and so many healthy SIGs, and such good publications (again, both local and national), and overall such pride of membership that no one doubts for a moment that belonging to this little club of ours is well worth $50/year. I wasn't intending on running for RVC or AMC anytime soon, so I'm not sure why I just wrote that little screed. Maybe I will think about it over the next few years, as I get settled into Cleveland with my sweetie, and see how much of my time and mindshare I'm willing to donate to our little club. I do think that I'd be much more willing to run if I thought that my stance of volunteerhood and local-focus and "leave people well enough alone" was held by several other candidates (though I dislike the idea of a "reform party" slate, which seems a little cabal-ish to me). We'll see... —Alan E. Baltis |