Community as Agency
Bubba Free John (Adi Da Samraj)
1975
“ We have neither a democracy nor a worldly hierarchy. Ours is a cooperative gathering. Each one is responsible in a unique sense, and everyone is aligned to me. Everyone is submitted to Wisdom.” – Adi Da Samraj
hat is the best form of governance? What rules should guide communities, families, and others living together to follow, and who should make up these rules?
In trying to figure out the answers to these questions, I will first rule out a form of leadership or governance where absolute authority rules. Why? Because it presupposes two things. One is that there is an all-knowing person with the ability to guide and direct others. The other is the populace or council must blindly follow the all-knowing one. In other words, there is the leader, and there are the followers. Although straightforward and ancient in the history of human development, this form of governance is today no longer tenable. It just doesn’t fly in the face of post-17th-century understanding.
The question of governance is central to any human endeavor, big or small. Who’s the boss? Who’s running the show?
Sangha and Community