As anyone who was either fortunate enough to be able to physically attend the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Goodnow Flow Association (GFA) in person or has been following my blog already knows, some really amazing and startling things were said at the AGM. But of all the things said at the 2019 AGM, what has surprised and stuck with me the most is that the statement which I personally found to be the singly most stunning one made at the AGM apparently deeply impacted no one else.
There was a very cursory and much too brief “discussion” regarding increasing Member participation in the actions of the GFA. IMHO, this "discussion" was strictly for show, as mr. fibiger and the currently sitting GFA board of directors have clearly demonstrated that they have absolutely NO interest in genuinely increasing GFA Member participation. Their obvious objective is to only increase the participation levels of Members who misguidedly support them in every little thing they say and do – because the currently sitting board knows that if the GFA Membership-at-large was fully aware of their shenanigans, the board would be tossed out on their backsides almost immediately. So, rather than taking any concrete steps toward genuinely increasing Member participation, the currently sitting GFA board instead chooses to illegally defame, vilify, and futilely attempt to censor anyone with the “TEMERITY” to simply ask questions about their often highly dubious or inept and sometimes blatantly illegal actions. None of this was or is stunning to me at all.
But, a GFA member whom I do not know made a comment which intensely resonated with me then, and has not left me since August 30, 2019: Regarding methods for increasing Member participation, with a specific focus on raising attendee numbers at the AGM, this fellow Member very understandably stated something to the effect of,
“Well, we can’t drive around the Flow in a bus and pick Members up and drive them to the AGM.”
Ummmm....... why not? Seriously - why not? Guesses below...
Again, I do not know whom this fellow was, but his words struck me hard because he was absolutely sincere in his genuine conviction that we “can’t” do something. With all due respect, this is the very accidental thinking which inadvertently cripples the GFA and allows a reactionary, self-interested and ultra-non-responsive board of directors to self-perpetuate.
For clarity, transportation is likely the most accessible metaphor:
“We can’t operate a buggy without a horse.” Then, someone thought differently not divisively, and the horseless carriage was invented.
“We can’t run a car engine without a carburetor.” Then, someone thought differently not divisively, and fuel injection was invented.
“We can’t drive down the road without burning gasoline.” Then, someone thought differently not divisively, and electric cars were invented.
Millions of similar examples go on and on throughout our shared Human history.
My point is this: Genuine innovation ONLY ever arises from someone disagreeing with the popular thinking of the day which says, “We can’t…”, and instead simply asks, "Why?" Because for nearly everything in life, we absolutely CAN. As a species, we have risen from being surely quite tasty food for infinitely more formidable predators to standing unrivaled at the top of the food chain on this planet. Why? Because we can. So, why “can’t” the GFA do things differently? Because something would be a gigantic pain in the butt to organize? Because 'we’ve always done it XYZ way' 🙄? Because getting off wrinkled duffs and actually doing something would actually require individuals appointed to “leadership” positions to become genuine Leaders and stop being mere custodians?
It’s undeniably true that being a custodian is a MUCH easier job than being a Leader, but both the present and the future GFA deserve MUCH better than mere custodians – we deserve and demand actual Leadership; not defaming, not censoring, not vilifying, not insulting, not laughably attempting to intimidate, not toothless bullying, not petty childishness, not cowed lack of integrity,
and certainly NOT complicitly fraudulent behavior (more on this is coming soon, stay tuned…...).
We need to install actual Leaders and no longer continue to complacently perpetuate the flatly incorrect current system of merely self-replicating custodianship so that the GFA will both survive the challenges of and thrive in the conveniences of a rapidly changing world. True, the Flow is probably still going to be here in 200 years (Although how it will look is quite debatable, as the Flow is filling itself in every second of every day. Yup, literally. Another pressing issue which the currently sitting GFA board chooses to keep almost everyone in the dark about.), and so the GFA will very likely also still be here in 200 years. The question therefore becomes this: “What do we want our 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 Treasured Flow and the GFA to look like for our descendants in 200 years”? To answer this question effectively, we need effective and innovative genuine Leaders, as the day of the plodding dinosaur custodians has indeed long passed.
Together, we really CAN do MUCH better.
Thank you very much for your DEEPLY appreciated ongoing support in 2020 and beyond!! :-)