Learning from the past

[Lori Jones]

> Daniel de Lincoln wrote:
> ...If a matter is kept completely quiet, how do we
> learn to deal with similar situations in the future?....
   <snip>
>... Each occurrance had been kept so quiet that the problem 
> could recur....

Wouldn't it be better, on the whole, to be able to discuss past 
events without any hints of secrecy?  Talk about something that can 
only escalate a subject's importance!  This crap of "we can't discuss 
things because they are/were too controversial" is just that.

Sure, there are things in this game that are *meant* to be 
confidential - like what goes on in peer circles, or what's going  
to happen that night in court!  This has to do with privileges of 
rank or station, as well as with providing an element of surprise 
to make something special, however....  

Now, I agree that a public forum might not be the best place to 
rehash these types of issues, but hints of secrecy or controversy are 
*not* ways to quell curiosity.  In fact, it seems to accomplish just 
the opposite.  

Any problem handled in a public fashion, on a local, kingdom, 
or corporate level, should be discussable between all of us "rational 
adults", yes?  Besides, many past problems ended up being used to  
set policy or write laws.  If these things can be discussed openly, 
then we might have fewer incidences of people saying things like 
"That's a stupid law.  I wonder why they ever put THAT in the 
book!". 

I know it's a little off the subject, but it never ceases to amaze me
that people don't realize most of our rules were established in 
response to some problem - (sadly enough, it often seems that 
one incident can spoil things for the majority.)   I've never heard 
of a rule appearing in the books out of the blue, for no apparent 
reason.  Contrary to popular opinion, most of our officers and 
leaders have more important (or fun) things to do than sit around 
pulling rules out of thin air. 

Anyway, all I meant was, the more we say something shouldn't be 
discussed, the more likely it is that it will *have* to be discussed. 
Or it seems that way to me. :-)

- Kat

    /\  /\
     o,o
    >^<
*******************
Katrionna MacLochlainn
Barony of Wiesenfeuer
*******************

"Mankind is one of those creatures able to learn from it's mistakes, 
 however, it is famous for its lack of inclination to do so."