[Ansteorra] Things to think about....

[Paul DeLisle]

> What wrong with wanting awards? it is OK to be a Squire. They have stated
> that they would like to work and learn and gain the knowledge to be a
> knight. Is it evil to want to gain mastery in an artform so you are
> wortly of an Iris. If you are willing to put the time in and give to the
> Kingdom is it wrong to want a Crane. People work for many reasons. Some
> want word fame or social interaction others want recognition but in the
> end we all work for some reason. If the person is willing to put the time
> in, learn the skills and behave as fitting the rank , what is wrong with
> them wanting the award?
>
> Duchess Willow de Wisp

Well, we are all different, Your Grace...But, the way I see it, you should
strive to excel at the art/science/service for it's *own* sake, *not* for
the achievement of an award.
Way back when (when Don Dupre's theme-music still wafted through the air), I
wanted to be a Don, sure...but not to wear a White Scarf on my shoulder. I
wanted to be a Don because the people I saw wearing White Scarves were (by
and large) the kind of people I wanted to *be* ...with skills and abilities
that I greatly admired. I wanted to learn skill with the rapier *that* well.
I wanted to be that glib, that helpful, that flashy, that polished (well, 3
out of 4 ain't bad...)
If someone walked up, and had just handed me a scarf,...what whould it mean?
*Nothing*. OTOH, If I can achieve that level of skill and recognition, why
do I really *need* a scarf? I wear it because it is an honor, bestowed on me
by people whom I admired greatly...and because custom and protocol require
that I do. But my scarf (or any of my other awards) do not *define* me.
Hopefully, I help to define *them*. When I forget to put my scarf on, do
people stop calling me Don Alden? Nope.  If you took away every award that I
posess... I'm *still* Alden Pharamond. And there are (at least a few) people
who respect *me*, not my awards.
IMHO, If you're playing this game for recognition, and awards that go
Jingle-jangle-jingle ....you're in the wrong game. To me, that cheapens the
accolade you are being given.

Just my bag-of-stale-bread's worth (extra points if you can make the
connection!)

In Service, I remain
Alden Pharamond
Tempio, Ansteorra