March 14, 1984 TO: the members of The Adelphi Organization FROM: Richard Kieninger You will notice on the ballot for directors that my name appears as a candidate even though Malcolm had asked me to no longer be a director or officer of T.A.O. The purpose of his request was to reduce confusion and fear in members (whom he did not name) when they’re not sure what “hat” I’m wearing while I’m communicating with them. Someone else has since reminded me that several years ago I was persuaded to resign my offices in T.A.O. due to my trust in a person who reported that most members wanted me out, whereas a subsequent polling revealed there was only one such member—the reporter. Another member now resents not having a voice in whether I step down from guiding the group. This member feels that the majority should have the opportunity to vote me out if that is what the majority wants. I certainly do not object to the daily work entailed in being president of The Adelphi Organization, and having the title allows me more prestige and credibility in dealing effectively with the world at large. As best I can determine, there are two main issues relating to members fearing me. The older one stems from my asking some twenty people to leave the community of Stelle. The then Membership Committee agreed that those twenty people should not be in Stelle, but they felt powerless to expel them. The fact that I was able to persuade those participants to leave peacefully even though I had no official position at that time is apparently still scary. Stelle suffers an attitude that goes, “What gives my neighbor the gall to tell me what to do just because I elected him to an office.” Because elected officials are given no credence, the officials call on me to unofficially undo years of abuses. I’d prefer that the abuses not be allowed in the first place. The more recent issue seems to stem from my likely objection to any easing of policies governing the tenor and usage of the Adelphi community site should I remain a director and president. Admittedly, it is difficult for anyone to be held to high standards. Due to liberal admissions practices for years and nobody wanting to use the legal powers available to maintain standards, Stelle became virtually irreversible in its laxity so that it had to be replaced by Adelphi to accomplish some of the higher aspects of the Brotherhoods’ Plan. I personally dislike having to be a monitor or remind people of their tasks of self-improvement and cultural uplift, yet I fear that the people of the budding community of Adelphi are not yet determined enough to enforce standards on one another through agencies of their own devising. Already there are different individual pictures of how Adelphi should be made easier to get into and easier to build at, and these bode ill for the Brotherhoods’ purposes. As for the matter of fear, one of the criteria I used in inviting Stelle members to help with Adelphi is that they have enough self-esteem and freedom from authority-itis to comfortably deal with me as a friend and co-worker or to confront me when necessary. There are a few Adelphi members who fear me as an unknown quantity and don’t know what to expect from me. These folks know me almost exclusively in my official-meeting-mode but hardly at all as a personal friend. I try not to impose myself on people, but I am always available for their invited discussions or visits.
	Return