By Anna Von Reitz
Always remember that despite you and other elected officials having an Assembly office, everyone in the Assembly remains your equal.
In our government an office isn't a rank, it's a job.
Also always remember that the Assembly is a public institution and not a club; as a result, you can't just get a "majority vote" and deny someone their right to participate in the Assembly or deny their membership.
If someone is disrupting our meetings, or obstructing us from conducting necessary work, the Assembly has every right to place that individual or individuals in a "time out" status for a reasonable period of time.
Each situation is different and the severity of the action should fit the severity of the problem.
A year long time out to study and learn and reflect on one's attitude is the longest time out I have ever heard of, with most actions being from three days, three weeks, or three months in duration.
The idea is to give a cooling off period and give people some time to think about their reactions and to learn proper ways of proceeding --- like how to get on the agenda if they have a topic they wish to discuss.
Many Assemblies established fines for certain kinds of behaviors, like a $5 fine for swearing, back in the days when $5 was like $150 now.
The goal is to consider questions, entertain reports, and conduct business smoothly and efficiently. Don't let meetings meander for hours. Short productive meetings lead to people being more willing to participate and feeling good about their participation.
Feeling good about participating in the Assembly is important. It doesn't always have to be a bowl of cherries, but it should always be worthwhile and have some small tangible results.
Everyone looks to the elected leaders for leadership, so be sure that your core group has goals in view. Right now, the major goals for all assemblies involve building the Four Pillars and getting those functions online.
But that doesn't mean that you can't spice things up with reports from committees, demonstrations, new product announcements, guest speakers, mini-educational seminars, and other activities that provide worthy insights and helpful information for daily life.
We all struggle to a greater or lesser extent from our Corporatist Indoctrination.
There is a tendency to lose our focus on people and get fixated on rank and structure and team building and numerical standards for success and similar Corporatist tools, ideas, and methodologies --- when you catch yourself reducing your vision down to pie charts and quotas, you know you are in trouble.
Periodically stop and remind yourself that we didn't come here to build another matrix, set new goals, and start whipping the slaves on a new plantation.
We came here to build a different world, and that requires going about things in new ways.
Treat yourselves gently and take time to breathe. You need to restore your strength and your faith every day. Find that little break-away space every day, and even every hour. Breathe in. Breathe out. Think about the things that matter.
Focus on the positive aspects and think about America. Think about your State. Think about all the people in your Assembly. And be grateful that you are an inheritor of this glorious country. Be grateful that you are part of the solution.
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