October 4
Our Part After the Vote
We choose a representative and feel the pleasant relief of a vacancy filled. Someone has agreed to go, listen, and report back. Then the report arrives at the end of a long meeting, when most of us are gathering coats. The person we asked to carry our concerns may have trouble finding anyone willing to hear what they learned.
Delegating work does not end our relationship with it. The people who serve us need more than election and occasional criticism. They need some sign that the connection runs both ways. Our questions and attention help them understand whom they represent, while their reports give us a chance to become better informed. Nobody can carry the conscience of a group that offers only silence. Shared responsibility becomes more believable when we remain available after somebody else has accepted the more visible part.
How do I stay connected to work I have asked someone else to carry?
Their report deserves a listener.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concepts I and II.