Monday, January 19, 2015

Leadership in Zion: Helping Create an Ideal Balance

I believe:

1) Communal sociality is a process of filtering back and forth what is best for the individual and what is best for the society.

2) Social leadership is, by definition, the position of determining where groups draw the line between the pursuit of those two ideals in very practical ways.

3) "Zion" is the idea that there is an ideal balance between the two - a condition of community (communal unity) that serves both ideals properly - where unity exists despite differences.

4) My role in creating Zion is to strive to find the type of individual balance between the two general ideals in my own, internal life and work to help others find that type of individual balance in their own, internal lives. If I am a "leader" of some sort, obviously I have more potential to help more people, but I don't see my role as "attacking" or "changing" anyone; rather, I see it as being a "helper" or "servant" of anyone and everyone.

5) Thus, all I can do is "offer" - consistently, humbly and without expectation. I can't "demand" or "command". I also must be willing to learn from everyone I'm trying to serve - and, in practical terms, sometimes that is the hardest aspect of Zion of all.

3 comments:

ji said...

Thus, all I can do is "offer" - consistently, humbly and without expectation. I can't "demand" or "command".

How about offer and invite?

In my ward, we may be moving towards demand and command regarding home teaching. Rather than four families per companionship, with many inactive families unassigned for lack of companionships, we're going to assign all families to our few companionships with no thought of an upper limit -- and we're going to require written plans from home teachers on how they are going to visit their assigned families and written reports on their achievements. Oh, and home teaching inactive families takes priority over teaching active families. I'm very sad.

Papa D said...

That is sad, ji - and directly opposed to the counsel from the too lately.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ji-that sounds horrible. I'm so sorry as I know how difficult it is to live in wards with such an ethos. Forgive my presumption, but perhaps it's important that you fulfill your assignments as you see fit in counsel with the Lord, and that will include your own limitations, demands and energies. I deeply regret the time I spent trying to fulfil other people's agendas. I wasn't strong enough to take my own counsel.