Comings and Goings

We are a very small community. There are many people who come to the various forums and sites and networking places claiming to be a part of this movement. In total, I would probably guess just under 1000 in the history of our little movement. At the most, though, our numbers can be placed around 400 active RLSH that have ever been in existence. The continued activity of these individuals is highly questionable in most cases, however, and so the actual number of RLSH in existence and consistently active with patrols, charity, activism and our various other good deeds is around 250 or so.

Let me again say that we are a very small community. But the point I am trying to make is not about the actual community, but the thousand or so less who claim to be a part of it.

You see them everyday in your digital world: the person that comes in, maybe stays for a little bit, then vanishes. There are many people that approach our community but go no further with attempting any sort of contact. And I find this sad, and on some level a personal issue I think we all need to address.

Apathy is our greatest foe. And it is a wily one to be sure. It is very hard to get people to do something so out of the norm as this, and even harder to keep them doing it. RLSH work can be a boring and thankless job. It is no different than anything else, but the psychological hype people create around it leads to certain expectations. People automatically assume that when they finally work up the courage to talk to the community that respect and admiration will automatically pour in for them merely because they are an RLSH. While I think we all are (ideally) welcoming, helpful and respectful of all new members to our community, I think most would agree that it takes a lot to earn a name and the respect that goes with that.

In this community, experience and contribution is everything, as our ultimate goal is to help. There are plenty of people who claim to do this, but few follow through with actually doing this. I have been guilty of this myself, and know that I deserve very little respect or acknowledgement of my existence because of this.

This is not a bad thing, however, it merely is. This community is about improvement and making an impact, and it takes a lot to make an impact on people who make it themselves.This is the fundamental reason why people can get over the threshold of the initial introduction but then fail to follow through: expectation. Because like it or not, many RLSH expect that in order for you to be a contributing member worthy of their respect and acknowledgement as a peer you must essentially prove yourself. It is easy for people to say something, but much harder for them to live it.

So we see people come and go almost daily, and definitely weekly in our online doings. Names come, and then fade. It is the ones who persist and stay that continue to draw our attention and garner our respect, even if they decline in actual work, mere presence then dictates a certain amount of respect.

It takes time to join a family like ours, and most people think that once they introduce or make contact that they will be accepted. This, unfortunately, is not the truth. While I would like it to be, I realize that RLSH work is not for everyone. And it is indeed sad to know that some are chased away by our expectations once they become known.

But this is not necessarily true of today. Our community is making great strides in acceptance, and more people than ever are taking up the call and staying. A different feel has come about, one which is more forgiving and understanding. And even though there will be ones who leave we can take solace in one fact: that they have been touched.

When you come onto something like the RLSH, your life changes. To know that there are actually people out there working to make lives better in such a strange way changes the way people think about life. They begin, I hope, to see what they can do in their own lives to improve things. This is, of course, an ideal situation, but still one which I believe does happen often.

Ideas are a very lasting action upon people, and ideas such as this have a great potential for such profound effects. If there is one expectation we must all have, is is that our wishes to make things better will take time. We all start out as the small voice stepping into a world with preconceived notions of spandex and bad guys, but with time that impression fades to be replaced by the truth: that we are people who want something better for all of us.

Whether you stay or go, rise to fame or fall into forgotten obscurity, take with you the knowledge that even though you may not be remembered for it, you can make a difference. And that is what really counts.