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The past is an Undiscovered Country
The Past is an Undiscovered Country.
If you have been involved in an otganisation for many years and have seen it all there is a risk that when issues arise for discussion you can end up in reminiscence mode. That is you start telling stories about what happened in the past through rose timted glasses. However there is also a risk that when you are drawing on past experiences during a discussion that others believe you are just wasting time telling old stories.
It is very important to respect the past without dwelling in the past because the past still has lessons to be learned. In my case if I am listeing to a discussion about how to resolve a problem and I remember that we faced the same problem decades before I could do one of to things. I could sit silently and just let people reinvent the wheel or stress over an issue or I could say that yes we faced that problem in the past and this is the solution that we came up with then. So don’t be confused into thinking you have nothing to leaarn from the past or from those who lived through that past. That attitude disrespects all those people who came before you and who gave up huge amounts of time and energy to make the organisation you are now a part of. “On the shoulders of giants”
I for example joined MMuDS in 1984. MMuDS however started in 1982 when a group of people got together to setup the systems and give birth to MMuDS. I have the upmost admiration and respect for that group who started with absolutely nothing but had boundless enthusiasm, drive and the creative courage to give it a go. I would always listen and respect their advice evem if I ultimately did not agree with everything that was said.
No organisation can just stand still and look back because the world and the local community around them does not but that is no excure to just cancel the past as if it has no value to the present.
Finally the veterans in any organisation are not always going to be around so pick their brains while you can and you never know you might actually learn something of value.