Unto the Province and Ridings of Malagentia,
I send you greetings and well wishes in addition to considerable thanks to all who have made this winter a far more energetic and amazing time than I can recall in many years. I am writing to all of you to bring you and update concerning a recent discussions that have been had by our officers and members of the Province.
I’ve mentioned previously that we would be creating a survey for the populace. One of the goals of the survey will be to help us obtain understanding of how you see things currently as well as where you feel we need to go from here. Your feedback will be critical in shaping the days to come. Our officers and I are assembling this list of questions and you should expect to receive the survey and or link to the survey in short order. This survey will be available to all residing within Malagentia (this includes the Ridings). Paid members and non-paid members will have every opportunity to respond.
Another topic of discussion we need to have, ties directly into the question the survey will seek to answer, “Where do we go from here?” Over the many months of my term as Seneschal I have had several conversations about the future. One question that I frequently receive is “Why is Malagentia a province and not a barony?” This discussion is something we owe ourselves no matter our feeling on the subject.
We are a group with a strong foundation and I for one believe that that strength can allow us to have this discussion without injury. Members have said they would like this discussion to take place and as the Seneschal I will make sure that we have every opportunity to do so in an open and respectful manner.
As people are very passionate about this subject I would remind you all that this is only a discussion. There is no vote here, but there is an opportunity to understand our past and explore ideas. No longer is it sufficient for us to reply to the question about why we are a province with the answer, “because we have been.”
As Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Let us show that enlightened quality and have this discussion. While doing so we shall keep with the founding principles of our Society, that we treat each other with respect and care. It is unfortunate that I have to state that there will be zero tolerance for anything other than the very best of behaviors.
Our next steps:
As mentioned you will be provided with the survey- all input with be anonymous.
We will be setting up several “town hall” discussions in various locations throughout the Province in addition to our yahoo group forum and in-person conversations. I will be the moderator of these discussions and will do so in an impartial manner. To start these will not be held at the monthly Province meetings.
We will examine all the feedback and then provide the membership with the results.
My next post will be to provide the populace with information concerning the differences between a Province and a Barony.
I look forward to speaking with you all concerning this.
In Service,
Colonel Christian Woolfe op, ogr, osc, rdt
Seneschal
Province of Malagentia