ANST - thoughts on what is the sca all about ...

iainmacc at juno.com iainmacc at juno.com
Thu Jun 8 12:27:52 PDT 2000



On Thu, 8 Jun 2000 13:36:29 -0500 "j'lynn yeates" <jyeates at realtime.net>
writes:
>
> > 	That's the true measure of honor: If you're honorable 
> > even when no one else would know or care.
> 
> something along the lines "... to thine own self be true", eh?
>

	Precisely, if you go with the rest of that line:

	"...and it follows as the night follows the day, thou cannot be false to
any man."
 
> further, i can see two distict types within ... those seeking
> "asylum" from the world and those that seek to enhance aspects of
> self while keeping other areas outside the sca active.  the former
> often manifests in the total-immersion "live the dream" mindset
> verses the later "hobbyist".  from as long as i've been inside, 
> there
> has been at best a uneasy truce between the two camps.  but seems
> over last years, the sca seems attracting more and more seeking 
> total
> refuge. along with this seems to be a rising intolerance of those 
> who
> are not 100% 24/7 committed to the sca.  this is a concern of many 
> of
> those i correspond with especially as the "cult level" of behavior
> seems on the rise (won't go into the various cult evaluation
> frameworks, they're out on the internet for those interested)
>

			<snip>

	Hmmm... While I must agree with you here (I've seen it myself), I must
also note that while I enjoy SCA much more than ANY aspect of mundane
life, I also don't hold it against anyone who doesn't "live it".
	(I say that, but now that I think about it, I find it difficult to have
a lot of patience with the ersatz SCAers that you never see except when
they come to events to play. They never show up when it's time to do any
of the work that makes those events possible.)
 
> 
> it also is a space that makes room for many of the deep 
> meta-programs
> ("personal honor" in relationship to this thread)that are
> increasingly squeezed out in the modern world.  also and very
> importantly, it's a venue that has historically allowed room for the
> radical and sometimes outre' individual to carve a niche for
> themselves, especially those of us of the wolfling persuasion (g). 
> it has tolerated those of us with strong opinion and a willingness 
> to
> state our minds freely irregardless of the current politics or 
> rising
> star-courts of public opinion.
>

	One of the reasons I consider myself one of the "immersion types" is
because of my perception of honor. It seems that in mundane life,
everyone teaches their kids that you shouldn't lie, cheat, or steal. But
in mundane practice, it's okay to lie to your boss, it's okay to cheat on
your spouse, it's okay to steal from the IRS. Sorry, but as far as I'm
concerned, if something is right, it's right all the time, not just when
it's convenient.
	But for that very reason, I cannot in good conscience hold a grudge
against SCA "hobbyists". After all, the fact that they don't take it as
seriously as I do does not justify being less than polite and gracious to
them. That politeness to others is NOT something I owe them, it is
something I owe MYSELF.
 
> to those who share these borderlands, ride free along the edges and
> be well my brothers and sisters!  stay well clear of "civilization",
> it is a deadly trap will weaken and ultimately destry you if you 
> stay
> inside those walls for too long a time.

	Much depends on how you define terms. I consider myself civilized, but
only by my own definition of "civilized". I am both proud and saddened by
the fact that my definition precludes my ever becoming one of the
"sheeple".

							Iain MacCrimmon
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