We often hear the question – “why are there so many rules?” – and understand the frustration.
It used to be different. We just did what we thought was best and learned from our mistakes. Rules are usually formulated when someone makes a mistake. If you look at many personnel manuals, most rules are as a result of an incident that caused issues so we put rules in place to protect others from suffering the same pitfalls.
For example, did you know that our fraternal units are “corporations” and as such are required to have meetings? Did you know that we are required to pay sales tax? Many of “our” rules come directly from the IRS in order to protect our tax-exempt status and are a direct result of our Mission Statement.
The question is often asked, why other fraternities don’t have the same rules. The answer to that is that all companies don’t have the same rule and their structures are different.
Think about it: What other fraternal organizations do you know of that takes care of over 200 children on an ongoing basis, and serves its members like we do at Moosehaven? We have an obligation to protect our interest and are required to abide by certain rules and regulations in order to maintain our status.
When I grew up, we would ride in the car, lay on the back dash, jump around and do whatever we liked. Our seat belt was our parents’ arm and it didn’t always work. Once our highways became more dangerous, safety regulations were put in place to protect us. Now, we have child seats and seat belts. Those are the rules.
So the next time you become frustrated about the rules, think about what they protect; our most precious assets – the children at Mooseheart and our seniors at Moosehaven who depend on us every day.
Reposted from Moose International