meetings

a meeting
just sitting
and listening
to reporting
from departments
about developments
exchange statements
discuss arguments
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a meeting
i'm doodling
and thinking
'so boring'
drink coffee
so not sleepy
just simply
write 'poetry'
----------
a meeting
not connecting
relevance? questioning
really wondering
is it necessary
to ministry
this prodigality
of temporality?

meetings. can't live with em, can't live without em.

i don't enjoy long meetings. i tend to lose focus as the meeting goes on, and i end up doodling and amusing myself in my own little thought-world until something happens to pull me back into the discussion.

but in an organization with a number of departments doing different things, how else can everyone be aware of what's going on and what everyone else is doing? how to ensure that the departments remain united as a whole, and how to maintain the sense of camaraderie and morale if people of different departments never meet face-to-face?

i guess meetings are a necessary evil. personally, i'd keep them to the minimum length possible. but then again, if everyone has something to say, on every item that's brought to the table, then how? and can good fellowship and friendship develop if everything is business only?

it's a conundrum. but as good stewards of the time that God has given us, i think it's imperative that we (especially in church and christian organisations) keep meetings to a minimum length and maximum relevance to ministry. then hopefully guys with short attention spans (like me) won't end up doodling, writing poems, and composing blog posts during the meetings.

note: i should really pay more attention during meetings, and i don't condone my own actions in letting my thoughts wander like this. it's a personal weakness that i'll have to work on. this post is a general reflection on meetings and is not meant to disparage or misrepresent the meetings of any particular church or christian organisation. actually, in some ways, the problem is more with me than the meetings. =)