ANST - Re: Pelicans

[Chuck Graves]

Greetings, all.

>I can take someone and teach them sword, shield and pole arm play and shield 
>work (no bias there).  A Laurel can teach brush, needle, and spoon strokes.  
>What would a Pelican teach?  At the risk of becoming overly philosophical, it 
>seems in many ways that service is an innate thing waiting for expression and 
>not a skill to be developed.  

Not necessarily.  The skills are simply not always as easily recognized.  In 
truth, that is the argument used by several Pelicans I know--"how can I teach 
someone to work hard?"  In fact, you can't--but you can teach folks organization
and management.  They are skills of great utility to an autocrat or an officer. 
You can't give an individual the passion to perform--but neither do the Knights 
or Laurels.  Squires and apprentices are drawn from folks who WANT to learn, 
whether fighting or A&S.  Proteges I know are the same way but they are trying 
to better what they do behind the scenes--better autocrats, better officers.

I'm not sure how it is here, but sometimes the lack of Proteges comes from the 
Pelicans refusing to take students.  My apologies, "refuse" seems too harsh a 
word but I cannot find another to take its place.  Many Pelicans feel that they 
cannot teach their skills to others.  I fear that many of those Peers are 
underestimating themselves as teachers.

Also, Peers and Students are not always matched for their interests.  For 
example, a Laurel metalsmith will have only woodworking Apprentices.  How does 
this happen?  Simply, the Laurel represents something beyond a unique skill.  A 
teacher passes on many things which can never be quantified.  Many Pelicans do 
not realize that they can pass these things on.

>Perhaps the Chivalry and Laurels are recognized for what they _DO_ and Pelicans
>are recognized for who they _ARE_, something difficult to see and often 
>uncomfortable to recognize.  This is not to say that, as Laurels and Members of
>the Chivalry, our identity is not a part of our peerage, just that we are first
>noticed for an activity.

Perhaps it is because a Pelican is more a recognition of cumulative effort.  I 
believe you could compare it to Olympic events.  The spotlight shines quite 
brightly on the 100m dash; much less so for the marathon.  Here, we recognize 
the swift, the strong, the skillful, AND those who persevere.  

Regards,
Tadhg
     

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