I'll admit it...I love science fiction. Even though some of the books were "before my time" I really enjoy the so called "hard science fiction" where politics and theoretical science fact (well above my own comprehension) intersect. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable stories I've read to date is "The Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle published in 1973.
The story revolves around human kind finding a lost civilization bottled in an isolated part of the galaxy with no way to break out of their sector because they had neither "faster than light" drives or shields that would allow them to transfer energy as you moved through the orbits of suns. This lost civilization, known as "Motes" are otherwise VERY advanced. Through the ages, they evolved a caste like system with a very informal style of governance. Their lower tiers, or engineers, could deconstruct and rebuild items so quick it appeared as if they customized every item by magic. Moreover, they recycled almost everything and created items that would handle many functions all in one. They had a problem thought...
The Motes reproduced so quickly that every thousand years or so, their planet would become overpopulated that the loose confederations of their society would devolve into massive warfare. In time, the survivors would find their way back to these "museums" where they would rebuild their socety all over again. The Motes called these "cycles" and their caste system openly acknowledged that so long as they were stuck in their own sector they would be doomed to repeat these cycles over and over again.
Sound famaliar?
Perhaps because I've been a fraternity consultant for too long, but this immediately struck me as describing one of the fundamental problems facing any student organzation. High turnover rates in student organizations tend to facilitate similar "cycles" as Niven writes about in his book. True, we rarely see apocolyptic wars as a consequence but we do see groups that are "best of the best" turn into mediocre or even bad organizations.
I find it also interesting to note that despite the strong institutional organization (organization literally bred into this alien species) present in the Motes, they still manage to fall into the same problem over and over again. In much the same way that I've heard students tell me that they are "unique" or don't have the resources to change or cannot fight campus climate, they still barrel head on into actions with large negative consequences. True, "failing" is part of the learning process but why do we do the same thing time and time again while expecting new results?
The Motes had a term for individuals that tried to break the mold. They called those individuals Crazy Eddie, who once tried to build a time machine to change the course of history for the Mote Civilization. These individuals are roundly critized or are even exiled from the Mote society. In the end, even once the Motes found a new species, they stuck to their way and tried to hide their faults, almost leading to genocide of their people rather than reach out and be honest with the humans.
Now, I'm not saying every time machine idea should be promoted, but would it hurt to encourage others to think outside of the box? A good manager, a good scientist, and a good engineer all affirms current actions through repition but new products, new outcomes, and new innovations come from recognizing a bad situation and trying something new.
Even the best organizations suffer when all you have are good managers. So the next time you are on a retreat with your chapter (or other student organization) and you're talking about fighting apathy, promoting a positive image on campus, recruiting new individuals, or something I haven't even thought of, don't be afraid to try something new. Sometimes we all need to tap into our own Crazy Eddie.
