Choose between the A's

My class had nothing much to do on the last day this year. Hardly anyone had classes, and only some of them got their marks. Well...I am happy no marks were given to me. The last thing I want to know before holiday season. Four people from Oakgrove, a US branch of Krishnamurthi schools, had come to visit the school and spend time in India. We spoke to them for over an hour. It was all about Vallipuram, the residential school The School is working on. It is going to be good fun, but I realised that a lot more lay behind the curtains for anything to start. What are the benefits of a residential school? Basically eleventh and twelfth graders who choose our school's program get sent to this residential campus, 80 kilometers away from the city. One question that instantly popped into my head was that of who is the decision-making authority in a residential community? What should one find - authority or argument? Oh! well... I would pick argument. If you read both words carefully, you would understand that authority is a one-person/one-state statement. Argument is a multi-faceted/plural voiced statement. I would definitely pick argument over authority...Our discussion being focused on the pros and cons of a residential community as a learning environment, I picked argument being the authority. Argument is not head over heels fight. It is more of a place where there is 'dialogue'. People listen to each other. And argument will also provide incentives for the silent observers. Since, decisions are going to stem from argument, views of everyone matters. However, if some people decide to be silent observers then they become thoroughly ignorant. Their decisions would never be considered. Due to the fact that the situation is residential and that the community will have to cope and live, the people will feel insecure just not speaking. They will start believing that the only way they can make things suit them is to speak up. The authority would be an intelligent community regulated with an older generation helping people make the transition of youth to adulthood. So, even in general life it's so important to choose between authority and argument...both have their pros and cons.