Alex said:

I have especially been mulling over the various incidents in which a GUEST or member has indicated some doubt as to whether they will remain among us here. Virtually every time this happens there ensues a tremendous outpouring of pleading and cajoling to persuade that person to stay.

What does this say about us? Why do we do this? We have lots of members. Why does it matter so much whether we lose one from time to time?

Like almost any weaving o fpeople into groups, one of the strong elements is that agreement of the group makes the members feel stronger and righter. This holds true for the most enlightened groups, as well as the most ornery mobs.

A