And here we are ... an address from the Pasteur

We’ve had a rather vibrant forum this week. Some changes were made that were hard to decide and which were certainly not made on a whim. This was discussed, brainstormed, debated, refined … &c, until it finally came down to a vote question in the Knights’ Corps. It wasn’t only the Council and Clergy this time. Many people well trained, well taught and well intentioned Jedi Knights discussed these measures for about a month before anything happened. It is not meant as some elitist, exclusive segregation move to “keep the TotJO pure” or anything fascist like that. Repeated events led to these restrictions being the most evidently effective of anything else that could have been done.

It has been mentioned by several people that the way in which this was implemented was ultimately done poorly. These points have been taken on board and changes in future will take into account the reactions/responses that this issue has gotten.

And now, I’m not even sure what actually has been done. But then, that’s not my primary rôle either …

My job is ‘people’ ; “humanity” is my business. You all, every one of you, Members of the Temple and non-Members, you and your well-being is my concern. I will now speak for the entire body of the Clergy of the TotJO, as per the responsibility of my office, to assure you all that your voices, your thoughts and your feelings are indeed valuable, they do matter, and we are all here for you to listen, assist, reconcile and advise.

It saddens me when the ambiance in our Temple becomes one of tensions and conflict. These are often due to some mis-understandings all around, probably more than bad intentions on anyone’s part. Yet, for as unpleasant as they are in the moment, these events are ultimately helpful to us ; these situations bring feelings to the surface so that we can address them, rather than letting resentments fester under the surface.

This is a Temple. As such, the duly ordained Clergy of this Order stand ready to listen to your concerns confidentially and without reprisal – no matter what they are – and can convey your feelings to where and by whom they need to be addressed, anonymously and with genuine attention.

Please send either a member of the Clergy or myself a message about anything you are concerned about.

While there have been some disruptive events here recently to my eyes they have done far more good than harm. They have provided excellent opportunity for the members to show their quality and lead by example.

Yes I feel the initial implementation could have been better but I cannot speak highly enough of the resulting defense of Guests combined with the ability of the leadership to listen to all sides, judge and then take action accordingly. In my humble opinion it bodes very well for the long-term success of TOTJO and is an example that some well established governing bodies should learn from and follow.

I am happy to listen to concerns as per my capacity as a member of the clergy.

I will say, though, that we have a forum that has "moods". There is a group mentality here, don't you think? We may have contrasting ideas, but the emotions of the forum are almost Oversoulesque, to steal from Thoreau. This week has been an adolescent period for us. We are experiencing bodily changes as a group, and as such we have to step back and not overreact. The teenager going through puberty might feel like these changes are the end of the world, but they are only the natural progression of life. Very common.

So, relax, take a look at where you are, and feel free to voice your concerns. It's all about perspective.