Zmiv, Adam and the entire TAO group: Sorry for the confusion. I did not know that you were seeking something more than a definition and my mistake for not thinking past that. Not to take away what Doug wrote yesterday; he is correct in what he has written about a family unit but I see that you are asking the difference in how a family unit operates compared to a civilian unit and which one would be best for all of you, the aliens on the Climax. That makes more sense to me as I think about the relationship differences between just regular acquaintances (civilian unit) and close family members. (family unit) There is a huge difference.
My advice is that you should operate as a family unit. Families give deference to each other more so than just civilians who may or may not give a hoot about each other. Civilians usually do not have the emotional attachment that families have because they are usually strangers or good friends at best, and may not necessarily have each others best interest at heart. Family units are considered a close knit unit more so than a civilian unit. By "close knit" I mean they would make more personal sacrifices for each other than a regular group of people working together.
I also think that you should be a family unit because you trust each other with your lives. In fact being aliens and in the position that you are right now, you are probably even more closer than most families. If you are a family unit, everything that happens can be discussed amongst the family only; no outside people would need to be brought in. The family members would have the final say amongst yourselves over any issue that arises. If you want to appoint a leader of the family you can appoint a President Pro Tem, or a "head of the family." That would be someone who would make decisions if the rest of you had disagreements as to what to do, or what should be done about something. This would be like your commanding officer in the military, or a President Pro Tem in a civilian unit.
How you decide who will be the President or “head of the family” can happen by a simple vote: whichever person gets the most votes, wins. If only one person is interested in being the leader, then appoint that person. You can still agree to vote on all issues. But with a “head of family” if all members can not be present for whatever reason the “head of the family” can act if his/her best interest or just assume their vote(s). If there is a tie, the “head of the family” breaks it.
This is not to say that any issues that arise can not be discussed outside of the family unit. Discussing and sharing what is going on as I did when I wrote about my family is perfectly okay. But since you are aliens I would think that you would not want any outsiders telling you what to do or influence what you do. However with a family unit, the family has the final word in order to resolve the issue at hand. When you run your unit in a family manner, it is not based on polite society rules that govern or those rules governed by law. You will not need to have rules and regulations to govern how you behave with each other. Your rules should be based on the emotional honesty attachment that you have with each other.
I hope that this is now clear. It took a little bit of thinking on my part after you inquired about the operations. I Understand your meaning now and if you want any more input please ask.
HOWIE: No worries. You need not apologize - I am delighted that we are cool now. But hey ZL brought it up and I am curious myself if CARR stands for anything.
Azza: How are you?
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Saturday, February 2, 2008
