Loftwings and Demons

I think one of the biggest obstacles to organizing (for mutual aid, politics, or even just for hobbies) is that a lot of people seem averse to taking that kind of responsibility and doing the kind of work necessary for these kinds of tasks.

This is not necessarily the same as leading, though I think leadership falls into this category of necessary tasks that people often wish to avoid (and I am sympathetic to the desire to avoid Leaders^TM, but maintain that nonhierarchical leadership without leaders is both quite possible and meaningful).

In any case, to return to the broader topic, the kinds of things I'm talking about are the organizing tasks of organizing. Things like record-keeping, planning, making decisions, coordinating and communicating to others, and all the kinds of work that a group needs to have done to be effective or at least remain functional. Basically, organizing requires organizers, and I think a very valuable question to ask ourselves, whenever we want to organize an endeavor, is how to make sure an organization gets the organizers it needs without:

1) having to depend on people whose intent is to exploit the power such a position may give them for their own personal benefit, to the detriment of the organization's cause,

2) burning out the people who take these positions on,

3) having to coerce people into doing these tasks,

4) depending too heavily on specific individuals to perform these tasks

Important considerations for any organization, regardless of its size or level of formality, I would think.

This Friday was...not very well planned.

This is what I'm talking about when I say I'm bad at planning.  I did not get much of anything I planned to do done, despite having ample opportunity to do so.

Though I did fry myself a sandwich.  I guess there's that.