farmdoc's blog post number 31

Moribund. My dictionary defines it as ‘not growing or changing; without force or vitality; on the point of death’. For many years I have been a member of a moribund organisation. It is a local environment group founded some 18 years ago, it has never had more than about 50 members and its current membership is much smaller than that and dwindling, it has less than a handful of active workers, the same few people have served as office bearers for years, it is impecunious and facing a large costs award after losing a recent tribunal appeal hearing, and it is not thought of well by the local community. Additionally it almost goes without saying that the main office bearers (who, no surprise, are the founders) have indefatigably –and successfully – resisted all attempts to change, initiated by others including me. This is a sad and poignant state of affairs because the people concerned are concerned people, they do good work, and dear me that work is needed. Calvin Coolidge said that ‘Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence…Talent will not…Genius will not...Education will not…Persistence and determination are omnipotent’. Maybe so, Mr President, but as I heard said on the radio last week, some people need to add Viagra to their eye-drops and take a long hard look at themselves.