It has been said by many; Know thyself.
Knowing myself. I know myself well enough to know that I am not a good liar. I am not a good spin doctor. I AM, however, one hell of a manipulator.
That is why I try my best to be straight. I have spent too much of my life trying to manipulate those around me, treating them as “things” and not people.
I have spent much of my time writing to you men asking you to help me raise funds to move our organization forward. I believe I understand our predicament as well as any man at this point.
Bottom line; I think this work can help change the course of human existence on the planet, IF we can reach enough men to become a tipping point towards healthy masculine energy impacting our future. IF……
To achieve that tipping point we MUST change. For too long we have operated in, what I believe is a shadowy relationship with money. Money is just money. Most of us exchange a certain amount of our time for a certain amount of money. Strange that we talk about most everything on the NWTA, yet spend NO time talking about money and our relationship with it. So, we are left with this “energy” hanging in the air when we talk about financial support for this work.
Historically, we have gotten what we have paid for. We, I MEAN ALL OF US, have been unwilling to pay men professional wages. We have EXPECTED the few men we do have running our organization to work 50-60 hour weeks for less than market wages … because we can. We can get men to work because of the deeply emotional value of the work, because of their passion for the give-away, and then they burn out. And it costs them, and it has cost us dearly over the years. Hugely gifted men have walked away; frustrated, wounded, wishing that MKP would finally find it’s place, create a sound financial model, and have the impact that it could have. Maybe you are one of those men. When we were a small group of men putting on just a few weekends that was good enough. That way of doing business has run its course.
We have four full time positions in this organization; FOUR. I hear men say we have this huge bureaucracy of employees we have to sustain and that is why we are suffering. I also hear men saying that they don’t feel that MKP-USA is responsive. How could it be any other way, given what we expect from the men we employ?
We are suffering because we have not professionalized our organization.
I don’t blame anyone for this.
I believe it is partly the natural course of an organization such as ours moving into the next level. Either we face the reality of our need to change or we will wither away and be a blip on the screen of “could have been’s”. All the great ideas that could have made a difference but those behind the idea could not muster the courage to grow the fuck up and make the hard decisions.
We need to run the organizational level of this work like a business. Huge not for profit corporations serve this world with great heart and impact. I think of GoodWill Inc. and what they do. They are a corporation. They hold their employees accountable and know they must be responsible for outcomes. It is just common sense. GoodWill INC. has a wonderful impact on the world with the work they do.
I am tired of hearing from men that they are able to contribute to our success but are not willing to because … they don’t buy into the plan, not a sustainable model, not, not, not, not, not, Yet, when I hear that I do not get an answer to this question. “What are you willing to do, to make sure this does work then? What can you bring to the table that those of us cannot, do not see right now?”
I do NOT hold the belief that I know all the answers. I am not smart enough to know them. I do KNOW that in the organization there are men who can make this happen, men who do know what we will need to do, who don’t yet know each and every obstacle we will face but have the know-how to make the right choice when we are faced with each new challenge.
So, I ask. Are you willing to step into the breach with us at this critical time? Or, will you stand on the sideline saying, “that can’t be done” “this won’t work, that won’t work”. To do nothing is a crime, when you know you can make a difference. To stand by and watch rather than take the risk of getting in the battle is cowardice.
I will no longer be a coward when faced with things that matter so deeply to me, and, to our future as humans on this planet.
Know yourself.
Know that your grandsons are waiting and your granddaughters are watching.
Please, help me/us do this. The changes needed cannot be done by just a few dedicated volunteers working at the margins while they live a full life of work, family, and friends.
We can, we must, do this as a dedicated group of men coming together for a greater good.
For 18 years now, when the circle has come together, the circle of men has never let me down.
Never.
Your grandsons are waiting.
Your granddaughters are watching.
David M Bauerly
Chairman MKP-USA
David Bauerly