ANST - Beware the Cookie Monster!

[Jax]

Greetings to the List:

In a previous thread, Donal stated:

>>The exception is this: If
>>all a person cares about is the cookies that can be had for "volunteer
>>work", if they reserve their passion for shiny danglies and save none
>>for the satisfaction of getting a job done - no matter what it is -
>>then no, I don't care to work with them. 


To which Sir Deitrich replied:

>Well, I am sad that because of a persons desire for an award you won't
>consider them for office.  I think this is unwise especially considering the
>fact that personal motivations like awards are some of the most powerful
>performance enhancers.


And now I'd like to chime in with my "me too!" and then some. I confess 
that this may just be another hobgoblin of my little mind, but this whole 
'I work only for the good of the Society' riff just drives me apes**t. I 
mean, we go to *great* lengths to make courts spectacular, to create the 
proper formal ambience, then enters the Great Man himself who has his 
Herald summon a member of the populace in a noble voice, the gentle moves 
forward and kneels before his ruler and is awarded the Golden Whatsit 
with great ceremony and words of praise... In short, we do everything in 
our power to emphasize that the Golden Whatsit is a valuable thing (For 
hours! At every single event!)... and then we insist that people *not 
value* it. We demonstrate over and over how important it is, and then 
insist that all consider it unimportant. And if, in spite of our 
insistence someone does consider it important, then By God he is unworthy 
of it!

Gee, are we sending mixed messages here? Does any one else consider this 
this a little puzzling? I mean, if awards are Good Things, why am I not 
allowed to want them? And if wanting them is a Bad Thing, why not 
eliminate all forms of recognition from the Society? Then we'd all be 
pure.

Personally, I want some awards. I want to get them by deserving them. And 
in order to deserve them, I'll have to work, study, practice, do 
research, learn, try things I've never tried before... in other words, 
grow. Become more than I am. Grow. I am entirely willing to do this. I am 
decidedly *not* willing to put on a coy little act about it. <Hurumph! 
Mutter mutter mutter...>

Respectfully,
-Erik Wulfriksson-
Barony of Bryn Gwlad

PS Sorry for being a little grumpy. The glare from this inconsistancy is 
giving me a headache.
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