Outliving our own value

Recently, a group I am a part of ran into some internal conflict.

At a certain point, the officials of the group sent around an e-mail, presumably wishing to simply expedite closure and to emphasize their authority on the matter.  The e-mail basically asked group members for two things:  1. To cease discussion among themselves and 2.  To reassure us that they would resolve the matter “in the best interest of the organization.”

This was several weeks ago and obviously as I am still thinking about it now, it was deeply impactful.  As important a role as this organization plays in my life, I realized that if it were to disappear tomorrow, we would simply replace it with another one.  The organization itself was of no particular value or importance to me beyond my relationships with the people in it.

In this case, the group survives, short a few members and the leadership considers the matter resolved “in the best interest of the organization.”  They are wrong.   The organization is weaker due to their “resolution” because they proved that individuals are disposable and that they misunderstand their reason for being.