By Bill Rouse
Trite but true! It has been my experience that the people who put little or no effort into adding to the whole of local Mensa are the first to take shots at what others have done. After seeing the outcome of someone else’s efforts falling short of the desired goal, these people become the soothsayers of 20-20 hindsight. Amazing! If only they had taken the time to point out possible flaws in an idea or actually participate, these armchair quarterbacks might have saved those who dared try something new and inovative countless hours of labor and, in the end, dissapointment! [Sarcasm mode off].
Fellow Mensans, what I am asking of you is that you take a look at what you have done to benefit the organization BEFORE you stand in judgement of those with the passion to make a difference and help the group (sorry, half-hearted involvement on a commitee just to try to justify your right to complain doesn't count). Local Mensa is fun and diverse because you make it so. The more people who participate, the better it gets! We have half-a-dozen people hosting 90% of the soirees and salons. That's about 1% of the current membership. While I realize not everyone is in a position to host an event, I believe we can do better than 1%. If you are in a position to host an event, try it! It's fun!
Lastly, people need to participate as recruiters for Mensa, as well. Local membership has been steadily decreasing for the last two years. This is a result of non-participation. We need to make Mensa an attractive organization to belong to once again. We used to have someone to greet the new members at the major events; we need to do this again, as many people find it difficult to walk into a party cold. We want to once again become the type of group where, if people come to one major event, they're hooked. The bottom line is, use Mensa or lose Mensa!