Collective Fatutity

Most Organisations, be they public or private, be they for profit or charity, be they military or religious follow certain rules.

The First Rule is Exclusivity.

Organisations exist to keep other people out. It is not that you are a member it is that others are not members.  It is very important to make those who are not members feel deficient.  Even if the club is for those who failed geography, the fact that there are others who haven’t been invited to join is where the joy comes from.

The Second Rule is to Insure Nothing Gets Done.

Sure there’s plans and programs, and a slurry of activities but one person acting alone would be able to complete the year’s agenda in a weekend.

This is the core purpose of Organisations; to maintain mediocrity and enforce lethargy.  To make everything climbing Mount Everest even if it’s an inch high.

The Third Rule is to Develop Bureaucracies

Sure it is far easier to pick up a phone and call and make an order. But this is not how it is done. One must gain the approval of a Name then approach an Officer who will examine the request and then pass it on to the Implementer.

The Implementer will insure that all rules are followed, all approvals are on the correct form, all requests are properly phrased. If there is any doubt, the matter will be passed back up the line for the flaws to be corrected or for clarity.

Hence, where a human being could call the Pizza parlour and order a double cheese with anchovies, an Organisation is incapable of such action.

The Fourth Rule is that once you join you can’t Quit.

To dare to quit is a declaration of war. It will have every member going after you as hungry sharks.  You can cease to attend meetings, you can be absent from functions, you can virtually erase the organisation from your life, but you can never ever quit.

To function in an Organisation requires the same effort put into a coma. Remember, if something was to be done, an organisation would never have been formed to do it.