Lichtenbergian Charter: Article II – Membership

Article II

Section 1, Charter membership shall consist of those members who have written the Charter and/or those who attend the first Annual Meeting, also to be known as the Charter Meeting, on December 22, 2007.

Section 1 Section 2—New members may only join when asked by current members, as actively seeking membership forfeits the SOCIETY’s principle belief in procrastination. Current members may invite new members to join whenever they get around to it.

Section 2 Section 3—Membership dues are to be $20 per year, payable by the first week of every year. However, “I’ll get you next month” is perfectly acceptable in lieu of payment.

Section 4, Members are expected, at some point prior to or following their addition to the rolls, to submit a creative work. In the spirit of the namesake of the SOCIETY, it is not required (or even, in fact, encouraged) that said work be either complete or successful.

Section 5, The duty and the right to define, for the betterment of all Mankind, the meaning of Lichtenbergianism is restricted to the Members of the SOCIETY.

  • Proposed 12/12/07, CM Mike Funt
  • Section 1 inserted 12/12/07, CM Dale Lyles
  • Section 4 added 12/13/07, CM Kevin McInturff
  • Section 5 added 12/14/07, CM Dale Lyles

28 thoughts on “Lichtenbergian Charter: Article II – Membership

  1. How about:

    Section 4-Members are expected, at some point prior to or following their addition to the roles, to submit a creative work. In the spirit of the namesake of the organization, it is not required (or even, in fact, encouraged) that said work be either complete or successful.

  2. What shall we fail to create? Our namesake, after all, failed to create the first hydrogen balloon, correct?

    I guess Section 4 takes care of that, though. Unless we are doing some sort of group effort that’s doomed to failure, as well.

    We’ll need to put in something about the election of officers. I nominate Dale as our founding president. Someone can second it when they get around to it.

  3. In response to some comment, somewhere along the way, I prefer The Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Society or The Lichtenberg Society to The Society of Lichtenbergians. Rings better to my ear. I don’t mind being out-voted though.

  4. Mike, that was over in the Article I discussion (Name & Purpose). I like Lichtenbergian Society simply because it is clumsy. It admits of constructions like Lichtenbergianism and even better, Lichtenbergianismist.

  5. We need some passage to deal with necessary disciplinary action, however long it’s execution may be put off. As an example, I have to install a new windowpane today, a job I have managed to put off for almost three months, now. I fully expect to have to pay some fine or something (with my wife’s money, of course; a rather torturous recent discussion with her has led to my resolve to finish this little project; fined? canonized? both?). Something about “capitulations which betray the spirit of the society and might lead to bouts of wretched introspection.” No black balling, mind you, just a slap on the wrist.

  6. I don’t know–I think as we elucidate the principles of Lichtenbergianism, I think we’ll find it’s a kind of situation where hope lodges in our hearts that we’ll escape the inertia of our philosophy. Affirmation through betrayal of principle? Does that sound appealing?

  7. It seems the ultimate goal of a member of the Lichtenbergian Society would be to somehow ultimately escape membership.

  8. Barbara and I talked about this the other day, actually. How we’re always projecting an imagined self that is a more fully actualized self, but has little in common with life as it is lived. We live with a ghost of the person we imagine ourselves to be. We either fool ourselves into thinking we ARE that imagined person (delusion), or we get dispirited by the constant comparison of our real selves to that imagined version of ourselves, we see the massive gulf in-between, and maybe even become depressed as a result.

    We Lichtenbergians must somehow, it seems, EMBRACE the gulf. Revel in it. Taunt the ghost. Fart in its face. And yet also remember our motto, that tomorrow is better.

  9. One might not even refer to it as a Gulf. One may refer to it as a “Lacuna.” Might the Lacuna Group be one place where we Lichtenbergians may go to “face off” with that Shadow?

  10. As Dale has noted elsewhere I have been a true Litchenbergian without even knowing it by ignoring the blog for a week.

    I started my essay last night, but decided to follow the Litechenberg way and put off finishing it until tomorrow. Will tomorrow ever come?

    By the way I am very good at farting.

  11. I participate in this knowing full well it is because Dale has finally arrived in Lichtenberg after wandering lost for years since leaving Hofvonstein. I dive in gleefully and supportively. No need to invoke “lacuna” to bring me into the fold. We all continue to do (or not do) what we have always done (or left undone). It is a fascinating repeating structure for me personally, as it may be for some others. Maybe one day I’ll share. Suffice to say for now, this is not the first enterprise to be set in motion as a response, albeit remote, to one of my own obscure “undertakings.” Many of us have visions, but having the touch is another matter.

  12. I’m just doing it so we’ll have a reason to get together, embrace the lacuna, and drink. What, did others have another agenda?

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