Ramblings of a Security Officer

Usually I show up here now and again to inform you all of what is going on behind the curtain in Council, but today's post has a different motivation. Tellahane has already shared his reasons for resigning from his duties as a Councillor and SysAdmin along with forfeiting his rank as Knight. This is not only disappointing, but deeply disturbing to many of us, mainly because he has held a mirror up to all of us and I personally do not like what I see. I'm here today to share a few insights and observations with you all as one of your Security Officers, and I do so to offer my perspective in an official capacity as a Councillor. These thoughts are mine and I don't speak for any other Councillors or Officers here, but I will say that I have consulted many of them for advice and suggestions.

In light of some recent occurrences here, I've realized that in my efforts to give people the benefit of the doubt or a chance to be adults and settle their differences in a mature manner, I have not provided the strong and guiding hand expected from a Security Officer, and quite honestly, from any Knight. I have not used the full authority of my position to reign in bad behavior or decrease the negativity going on. It is not my wish to be the Temple Police and I really want to avoid disrupting the free flow of ideas and opinions here, but it has become obvious to me that I need to reassert some very specific and very obvious guidelines for people here to follow. So, here goes...

1. These are our RULES . Please read them and know them. I will make every effort to enforce them fairly and evenly. These apply to EVERYONE.

2. We have a Doctrine here. Anyone Novice and above is expected to have taken a reasonable amount of time reading it, studying it, responding to it, and applying it to their Path as a TOTJO Jedi. It is pretty clear about whether or not most behaviors are acceptable and/or encouraged. It is also pretty clear about actions and behaviors we should avoid. If it's been a while, perhaps you should revisit it and remember why you were willing to pursue membership here after reading it. If you are simply a guest here or have no desire to follow the Doctrine as it is presented here, that is okay, but you still need to be respectful to those of us who do. This is a Temple built for the benefit of our members first and foremost who take our brand of Jediism seriously. If this isn't your goal, do not discredit or disrupt those who choose to follow it.

3. In support of our rules and also our Doctrine, a document called the Pax Templi will be released soon that will offer not only the letter of the law as it pertains to behavior here, but also the spirit of it. It will outline what is expected behavior from Jedi within these walls. I expect people to read it, give it some thought, and consider it while participating here. I will be referring people back to it when I believe their actions do not reflect what is written there. The irony of this situation is that the only reason we don't have this done and presented already is that we have been taking too much time away from its development dealing with the very problems it aims to solve. No more. This is a priority of mine and the efforts to create it will not be wasted.

4. There seems to be some confusion about how to address conflicts, issues, or problems that may arise here, so let me clear a few things up by sharing my opinion for the best way to handle these when they arise. Your first step when you have a question or problem with someone's behavior that you feel you can no longer address yourself should be to contact JLSpinner or myself as your Security Officers. It is our job to moderate, edit, or delete posts, mediate conflicts, and enforce our rules. We are your advocate and we are familiar with all options available to resolve the issue. We can also elevate the issue to Council should it become necessary. Creating additional threads to further the conflict, posting to the public Wall, passive aggressive posting to other threads (Rant Thread), or attacking people directly in other threads will no longer be accepted or tolerated on my watch. These posts will be deleted and you will be informed why. We are adults here, and I will expect people to act as such. Otherwise, I will have to assume you are okay with being treated like a child. I'm not a babysitter, so I would rather avoid this.

5. In the event that the issue/complaint involves an action taken by a Security Officer, Moderator, or Council, the proper action should be to contact Council Secretary Atticus who will bring it before Council for review and appropriate action. He will communicate what actions are being taken and whether they require any votes or administrative procedure. Again, bashing Councillors or Officers (Volunteers ) in public forum threads, the Rant Thread, or on the Wall will not be tolerated, These posts will be deleted.

And now... a few final thoughts.

Despite our syncretic nature as a faith, we have very specific ideas about what the purpose of this place is. It is not the high school debate club for you to hone your abilities to defeat others in verbal combat. It is not a political soap box. It is not a fraternity and it is not Hogwarts. It is not a place for professional medical or legal advice. The only contest any of us should be engaged in is with ourselves to be better than yesterday. We are not against each other and we are not here to impose ourselves or our beliefs on others. I'm not your parent, and no one else here should be either.

Here's what this place IS. This is the Temple of the Jedi Order. It is a place for personal improvement, intellectual advancement, spiritual exploration, encouraging mental and physical fitness, and positive growth. It is meant to be a free and open environment to discuss ideas about faith, spirituality, philosophy, and to assign some meaning to the human experience. It provides a clergy for spiritual education and guidance/counseling. It provides a course outline to expose Jedi to new concepts and ideas that may help them along the way. It provides a social community for those seeking friendship or a place to feel comfortable when they can't elsewhere. It is more than an internet forum. It is a church, a Temple, but most importantly a sanctuary. I am no longer willing to watch my sanctuary being treated like a battlefield. Negativity should have no home here, and I intend to chase it from these halls.

As I write this, I am hearing the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi speaking to his fallen Apprentice. "I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you." I don't want to fail anymore, as a Security Officer, a Councillor, a Knight, or a Jedi. Together, I don't want to see us failing as a Temple. So I ask each of you, all of you reading this, please help me make this place what it is meant to be rather than what I have allowed it to become. Take a moment to reread the Doctrine. Remember what brought you here. Recall the days as a wide eyed newbie entering this place for the first time. Let's be those Jedi again, full of hope and eager to embrace a better future for ourselves. I am better than what I have shown here lately. We all are. It is time to show it again. It is time to be the beacons of hope and instruments of peace that we claim to be.

I've strapped on my armor, rusty as it may be, and I'm ready to take on what may come. Today, I reclaim my Temple, not as it currently is, but as the Temple I know it can be. I hope you will join me.

~Senan

Damn straight.

What is the definition of positive growth? Is yours the same as everyone's or do you feel it's better to enforce your personal definition?

Im not saying one way or another, just food for thought.


The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. 

That was inspiring brother. I can only hope that we can live up to it.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: What is the definition of positive growth? Is yours the same as everyone's or do you feel it's better to enforce your personal definition?

Im not saying one way or another, just food for thought.


The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. 

Fair questions, Kyrin. Ones I have not explored enough, for sure. Off the cuff, I define positive growth as that which contributes to less personal suffering. It could be learning to deal with attachment, past trauma, stress, whatever. My definition clearly needs more work and won’t be the same as everyone else’s. That’s what makes our interactions here tough sometimes. We’ll never be on the same page.

And on that note, I don’t want to become a Tarkin. I hate the idea of being an enforcer or overbearing when it comes to rules. I guess I am just at a point where I feel we need to reestablish some basic standards of decent and respectful behavior. The tools I have to work with are the rules here. They are far from perfect, but I have to start there and hopefully we can evolve from there.

I’ll certainly be thinking more about this.

Enforcing rules? Sure, but it is perhaps better to inspire people to adhere to them and embody the values of the Doctrine.

Akkarin wrote: Enforcing rules? Sure, but it is perhaps better to inspire people to adhere to them and embody the values of the Doctrine.

I think I resonate with Kyrin in this... I can never speak for anyone else, I can only speak to things that relate to me and my experiences. And with this temple nearly 90% of my interactions are with a consistent effort to discuss and communicate ideas

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And is in returned viewed as rebel rowsing, disruption and discord and in those very few cases with conquering intent.

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It is quite interesting to see how each person interprets other people. You have now declared to take interpretation into your own hands....Do remember caution.

And don't get me wrong. I'm not disagreeing with the move or desire or passion presented in the OP. Just saying...I can see so many people getting hurt in the attempt.

That's all I will say in this thread. My PM is open for further discussion if needs

Good Luck.

Senan wrote: I've strapped on my armor, rusty as it may be, and I'm ready to take on what may come. Today, I reclaim my Temple, not as it currently is, but as the Temple I know it can be. I hope you will join me.

The inevitable consequence of "speaking" in this "knightly" imagery, is that we tend to create more conflict. A Knight requires a Crusade, and a Crusade implies infidels to slay.

Which of course I am more than well aware that you did not imply, Senan, you, the knight that even when faced with debilitating illness and the real possibility of death, never once took it as pretext to mar your interactions with others - The strength of your kindness always inspires me.

That said, rather than putting on armor, I prefer the Last Jedi Luke Skywalker approach:



Here is what I see.

I see a hugely diverse membership who all want different things.
I see a body of Councillors, Clergy, Officers and Knights who are spread thin trying to find ways to meet all those demands.
When volunteers becomes overburdened with work and are systematically placed in a position where they will always offend or let down someone, the inevitable conclusion is that at one point or another, that volunteer will snap.
And of course, because the volunteer snapping is in a position of leadership, those who aren't will lose their minds and start a bunch of threads about how messed up leadership is.
If there were an easy fix for this dynamic, we would have stumbled upon it by now. The best approach I've found so far is for leaders to simply avoid being overinvolved to avoid burnout and to avoid getting caught up in petty politics.

(By the way, I'm sorry I turned your rambling post into a rambling of my own)

In any case, we would all get along better in general if we made a conscious effort not to take things too personally, to give our personal best but make no demands on what others should give (the world owes you nothing). And that goes for both leadership and general membership, yours truly included.

Or, you can go to ridiculous lengths to try to accommodate everyone. It is your choice. Frankly, I think it is a waste of energy.