[Nfbf-l] Termites, Chapters and Changing What It Means To Be Blind

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Termites, Chapters, and Changing What It Means to Be Blind 
 
by Ray Martin
 

Ray Martin 
>From the Editor: In recent weeks I have been privy to  some grumbling, 
particularly from the sort of young, energetic, creative  Federationists who are 
the dream of every committed chapter or state president.  Folks like these 
are needed by every organization. As the years go by, we will  count on them 
to assume the mantle of leadership. The murmurers are voicing  their 
dissatisfaction with what goes on (or doesn?t go on) in chapter meetings.  They 
want more projects, more challenge, and less empty talk. They have  understood 
what the NFB is about, and they are ready to go do something  constructive 
to change the status quo, not sit back and complain about what is  wrong.
 
None of this is a surprise. The challenge we face is how to spend enough  
time building the infrastructure of the chapter or affiliate to keep it 
together  while channeling the energy and creativity of the young to generate the 
programs  and activities that have always characterized our movement. Lean 
too far in one  direction, and we stultify and lose committed, active 
members; lean too far the  other way, and we gallop off in all directions and 
dissipate our focus and  efficiency.
 
I know of no formula that can be applied to every chapter and affiliate to  
achieve the perfect balance. I do know that leaders have an absolute duty 
to  listen to young voices and allow them to shake us up and out of the rut 
of the  way things have always been done. I also know that, if we are to 
continue to  succeed, young and enthusiastic members must make the effort to 
attend meetings  and demonstrate their willingness to roll up their sleeves and 
work to share  their vision of what we can accomplish. Wherever everyone 
focuses on making  chapters healthy and active and on drawing everyone into 
its decision-making  process, all blind people will benefit, and the NFB will 
grow and be well  served.
 
The following message and newspaper article were circulated by Ray Martin,  
president of the Utah County Chapter of the National Federation of the 
Blind of  Utah, to his chapter members. The message seemed a good reminder to us 
all at  the beginning of a new year. This is what Ray Martin says:
 
As another new year comes in, I reflect on the growth and changes that we  
have made as a state affiliate and a chapter. The National Federation of the 
 Blind gives us each opportunities to work together and to change what it 
means  to be blind. We have the chance to set in motion events that will 
change the  lives of blind people around each of us and throughout the entire 
state. But if  we put our personal agendas first and seek to foster our own 
careers at the  expense of our shared philosophy and commitment to mentoring, 
we will have  failed our common dream even while we may have individually 
succeeded in gaining  stature in the organization.
 
The NFB has great leaders both locally and nationally. As I look at these  
powerful leaders, two conditions for their emergence seem always to be 
present:  a persuasive and selfless leader and a critical mass of willing members 
that  provide the leaven to raise the whole. Whether or not we have the 
personal  characteristics and drive to become leaders, we should all try to be 
a part of  that critical mass of willing members.
 
A telling analogy from the animal kingdom can be found in the remarkable  
mounds built by the compass termites in Northern Australia, which have a  
north-south orientation to keep the temperature and humidity of their brooding  
chambers constant. Thus the flat side of the mound faces the rising sun to 
cope  with the early morning chill, while the steep roof deflects the heat 
when the  sun is overhead. But what is most remarkable, according to Michael 
Talbot, in  his book, Beyond the Quantum, is that: ?No single termite could 
ever accomplish  such a miracle of engineering. ... Even three or four 
termites gathered together  are equally helpless. But keep adding termites one by 
one and sooner or later a  sort of critical mass is reached, and as if the 
truth had suddenly dawned upon  them, they gather into work crews and begin 
cementing grains of sand together  with their saliva, building arches and 
connecting columns until the expertly  designed fortress that will ultimately 
become their home grows like some strange  flower around them.?
 
This is a fascinating biological phenomenon that has some relation to human 
 society, and more especially to the National Federation of the Blind. I 
think a  state affiliate could be seen as a critical mass of good individuals 
who work  together to accomplish much more than any individual could ever 
achieve alone.  As we work together, we will continue to accomplish great 
things.