[Ansteorra] Motivations (was: Love and recognition)

[Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace]

Salut cozyns,

I don't know Sir Samuel. I don't know whether we're related or not.

En Lyonel
_________________________________
Micel yfel deth se unwritere.
		--AElfric of York




>From: L T <ldeerslayer at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." 
><ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
>To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
>Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Motivations (was: Love and recognition)
>Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:42:22 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Sir Lyonel,
>
>Are you "related" to Sir Samuel de Grac'e of the Outlands?
>
>You definitely have similar points of view...
>or maybe it's just the condition of being a "knight"
>or maybe that's why you are both knights... ;)
>
>Regards,
>
>Lorraine DeerSlayer
>
>Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace <sirlyonel at hotmail.com> wrote: Salut cozyns,
>
>I would like to second Sieur Jean-Paul's sentiment (although, considering
>the speed with which my posts make it to the list, I'll have to be 
>satisfied
>with fourthing or fifthing his sentiment).
>
>I don't agree with the Objectivist view that no one does anything for
>altruistic reasons, but I do believe that altruism is a form of enlightened
>self-interest. Unless I'm urgently needed somewhere else, I've always made 
>a
>point of stopping to help people in need: opening doors, jump-starting dead
>batteries, rendering first aid, pushing stalled cars off the road, changing
>tires. I have two reasons for doing this, and they're both selfish:
>
>1) I have something of a White Knight complex. Deep down I'll always want 
>to
>be the Lone Ranger, walking away from a scene amid
>who-was-that-masked-stranger whispers.
>
>2) I believe in social karma. Do Unto Others increases the likelihood of
>receiving help when I need it or when someone I care about needs it. Every
>time I jump-start a dead battery for a stranger I increase the odds that
>someone will be there to jump-start my dead battery or my wife's or my
>daughter's.
>
>In all fairness, however, Kat did specifically call out "self-glorification
>at the expense of others." Going back to my original statements about
>motive. Yes, a trail of bodies would be a good clue that the individual in
>question should not be considered for an award. I worry about parallax,
>though. Let me give you an example I've seen in many places in the SCA
>(including a half-dozen examples right here in various parts of Ansteorra):
>
>A Key Player in a group begins to promote a New Way. Key Player gather's a
>Big Cadre around himself, and Big Cadre grows to become the most powerful
>group in his region (either through sheer numbers or by developing or
>recruiting influential members.) Key Player works hard to promote the New
>Way and to support other efforts of Big Cadre members. Big Cadre overwhelms
>other cadres who do not support the New Way. Other cadres die out, move
>away, or hang around complaining that they've been disenfranchised.
>
>Most members of Big Cadre consider Key Player a hero. Players from the
>disenfranchised cadres consider Key Player a selfish bastard. Occasionally
>you'll find a small minority of players within Big Cadre who will tell you
>that Key Player was *once* a hero but is now a Little Tin God.
>
>I've been a member of at least three Big Cadres. In one of those, I was Key
>Player. In another, I was affiliated with a Big Cadre that left a bunch of
>my friends feeling disenfranchised.
>
>If you're on the outside looking in, you'll have to decide for yourself who
>to believe. In any case, you're stuck once again sifting motives. My
>original point was not that we shouldn't try to determine motivation. My
>point was simply that we have to be damned careful how we go about it. When
>you decide that you've figured out another's motives, you need to step back
>and ask yourself how much you've ascribed to evil what should have been
>ascribed to ignorance, error, and parallax.
>
>lo vostre per vos servir
>Meser Lyonel
>
>
>
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