This note was mainly written in the context of the governance of the housing society where we live.
Take Charge
Seven Commandments for happy co-operative living
1 Do not give Blind Power of Attorney for your Future.
If you abstain from attending the meeting or do not vote on any resolution, you are in effect giving BLIND POWER OF ATTORNEY to the person who is getting the resolution passed. You are yourself to be blamed if your interests are harmed by the resolution.
Attend all the meetings and do vote on all the resolutions.
2 By not taking active part in the Society’s affairs, you are exhibiting your dirty SELFISH nature. Why you expect somebody else do the dirty job for you ? As you are benefiting from the services offered by somebody else in running the Society, it is your utmost duty to return the good favour by contributing your bit in running the Society. This can be done even by remaining outside the Managing Committee.
3 Accept and Respect the existence of other residents of the Society. When some person disagrees with you, he does not become your enemy. Learn to respect the right of other person to disagree with you. As you interrupt when other person is speaking or when you speak louder than the decent level, you are denying the other person to express his opinion. This is ‘junglee’ behaviour on your part.
4 Appreciate the good work of the Managing Committee. As you have right to criticize, the obligation to appreciate good work is also attached to your right.
5 Take pains to learn the By-Laws. They are not at all that difficult to understand. If you are ignorant of the By-Laws, you are consenting to be taken on a ride by unscrupulous members who are well-conversant with the By-Laws but mis-use its provisions or deliberately mis-interpret its implications.
6 If you can not even run your own small Society satisfactorily, then you have no moral right to blame the politicians for ruining the affairs of the municipality, State and the Nation.
7 If you agree to above principles but do nothing about them for their effective implementation, then you are keeping your ‘destiny’ on an un-protected open blank slate in which anybody can write anything they like and you accept your destiny in their hands helplessly. Do not prey to God to help you out in such a case.
