I'M THE PRESIDENT!

In case anyone is wondering about the
"good old days."
I remember now..
1979...
I was taking a small traveling book distribution party out.
A few of the ladies and myself.

I'd heard of a successful program in Europe
to increase the distribution.
The sankirtan party would simply give 50%
of whatever they received in donations to the temple.
The sankirtan party would order its own books
and take care of its own expenses out of the remaining 50%.
That way the temple was assured of 50%
and the book distributors would be enlivened
to increase more and more knowing
that 50% could be plowed back directly into the sankirtan.

When I approached the temple president he hit the roof.
He was furious.
He shouted right in face, "I'm the temple president."
I was in shock.
If he didn't approve of the idea I could understand.
But what he didn't approve of was
that I even had an idea in the first place
and had had the audacity to approach him with it.

I left that temple not too long after that.
There was never anyway to discuss anything.
I can just imagine what GBC meetings are like.
The only way to be heard is to push everyone out of your way.
Taking responsibility means just that.
TAKE responsibility.

Like prasadam distribution
when it was considered to make advancement
you had to take all the prasadam
and leave nothing for anyone else.

I'm guilty of that.
The first week I lived in the temple. I did that.

But I wouldn't think that was the way
to manage an international organization.

I guess what Srila Prabhupada meant
when He spoke about love and trust was
Dog eat dog.