INTERNET GRANDFATHER®

Clubs

                                                        A club is an association of people, usually formed for the purpose of enjoying some shared interest. Since we usually enjoy being around people like us, or people who like to do the same things we like to do, or people who think in the same way we think, clubs are part of most of our lives. Sometimes we don't think of our groups as clubs, because they're not formally constituted, but most of us are part of clubs. Even those who resist being  "joiners" are usually part of some group that functions as a club. Our clubs may be groups of neighbors talking about the landscaping or groups of co-workers meeting to complain about bosses or loose associations of people chatting on the web.

                                                      I belong to a few clubs, both formal and informal,  but I sometimes find problems in clubs. One problem I find is the attitude that non-members are somehow lesser beings. If the purpose of a club is to take pleasure in the company of one's fellow members, it's not necessary to look down upon non-members. In fact, we should be looking for new members from the group of non-members. We should be trying to enhance our experiences not make others feel excluded. Another problem I sometimes find is the cliques that form within clubs. To the cliques, not even other members are worthy of inclusion. When I think about clubs, I sometimes think of Groucho Marx, who reportedly said that he wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would accept him as a member. While he was joking, there's something to that if we're the kind of person who looks down upon others from the perch created by membership in a club.

                                                       My attitude in clubs is the same as outside the clubs: Be courteous and welcoming to everyone I meet unless I find discourtesy in response. While clubs are by nature exclusive, try to be as inclusive as possible in dealing with members and non-members.  Treat everyone as a member and, normally, they'll treat you the same.

                                                       Join clubs, formal or informal, and enjoy them but don't let membership create the feeling that you're better than non-members. In that way, your clubs will grow and encompass the many others you'd like to know or with whom you share interests.

7-9-07