For the last couple of weeks I have been reading the posts on Cryonet, especially the ones posted by David Pizer, concerning the need to bring democracy to Alcor. At first I was indifferent. Although I don't know any of the Board members personally, I generally respect their accomplishments and believe them to be well meaning individuals. I have also interacted with many of the staff members at Alcor and have a favorable opinion of all of them. These are all hard working people who truly believe in what they are doing. I'm glad they are there (and have had to call on their services rather recently) and know that if I or a loved one get into trouble, they will be there for us. So what is the big deal about bringing democracy to Alcor?



As David Pizer has very clearly pointed out, even the best of intentioned people can drift off course. There have been numerous past problems, which you can read about in the Articles section, and current trends that are troubling. But what has been bothering me the most recently are the numerous people I see being turned off from Alcor. I personally know several very intelligent hard working individuals who feel quite frustrated in their attempts to bring meaningful change to Alcor. After beating their heads against the wall for years, they finally gave up in frustration and walked away. Of all the challenges that face Alcor, this loss of energy, ideas, and enthusiasm from these shut out people is what scares me the most. Alcor, and cryonics in general, is only as strong as the people who are out there in the trenches making things happen. Shut these people out and you literally suck the life blood out of the organization.

That is why we need to bring democracy to Alcor. Yes there are numerous other challenges and problems that need to be overcome. But if you don't give people a say in how their organization operates you will in the end drive them away. People, even the most dedicated, can only swim upstream for so long. And if all these people leave, it doesn't matter how many great ideas you may have sitting around. There will simply be nobody left with the will and energy to implement them.

I joined with others in creating Reform Alcor because I want to bring back, and hold onto, those people who feel like their ideas and opinions don't matter in the current climate. Here is a place where everyone can put in their two cents about what they think is wrong, what they think is right, and how to make Alcor a better organization for everyone. And hopefully with enough of us we can pressure the Board members of Alcor to give us a bigger say in the fate of our organization.

Because after all it is OUR organization. Alcor belongs to the members, and I think it is time we had a place at the driver seat.