[Ansteorra] I have a question

[Tom Kyle]

What a wonderful question!  Too many of us get too caught up in what is
wrong with this or that, and forget why we're here.  I'm going to answer not
only the original question, but elaborate with some musing about why I keep
coming back, even thought I've moved and it's no longer convenient to play
as often as I'd like.

I joined because I enjoyed going to renn faires and someone one of them
suggested I check out the SCA in my area.  I checked it out, and found what
could only be described as a 2nd family.  Now understand, most people's
families are dysfunctional in one way or another, and we're no different
here.  I could go on and on about the good, bad and the ugly about this
group, but let me summarize some stories about the good:

In my barony we suffered two tragedies in a short period of time.  Without
going into details, let me just say the the response of the people in the
barony was tremendous in both cases.  With a simple phone call, a small army
of people were called to action, doing whatever needed to be done.   Much of
it happened behind the scenes, and few people knew the amazing details of
what people were willing to do for their friends.  The outpouring of support
was global and immense.  It was simply amazing to watch the people of this
organization at it's best.

Perhaps the most telling example of what we have here in the SCA was when I
moved away, got married, and took my new wife to her first event (a medium
sized war).  It was just the two of us the first year, because she is very
protective of her autistic son (about 10 at the time).  The comments were
predictable:

"So you just leave your stuff in your tent and no one bothers it?"
"Wow, everyone is so nice.  I never expected to feel this welcome."
"I guess it will be ok to bring my son; he'll love it!"

and I knew she was hooked when while we were packing up she said "I'm going
to have to volunteer next time."

The SCA is about relationships, and like minded people creating and living a
dream.  Being human, we make mistakes and disappoint each other sometimes.
 But when it comes right down to it, I've never found a better group of
people this large ever, anywhere.

Yours in humble service,

Tomas


On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Hugh & Belinda Niewoehner <
burgborrendohl at valornet.com> wrote:

> I first heard about the SCA at a party after a Science Fiction Convention.
>  At that point in my life I was more interested in the future than the past.
>  However, I had always loved ancient history and as a child wanted to be an
> archaeologist long before most children that age could pronounce the word.
>  My bedroom was painted with Egyptian pictures and hieroglyphs.  As to the
> Middle Ages, I fear I was ignorant having been fed the usual short
> explanation of the time period in school as a place with dirt, plagues,
> violence, ignorance (until the Renaissance awakening), religious intolerance
> (I thought I would be burned at the stake if I'd live then), etc.  However,
> a woman who I can not now name started telling me at this party of all the
> great things one could learn in the SCA.  The thing that hooked me, however,
> was the idea of a persona.  She told me in great detail of her 'character'
> and her history and family.  As a writer I was enthralled and wanted to
> 'play'--you know that childhood thing we used to do.  I wanted to escape the
> world I lived in and be someone else for awhile.  It was not until a few
> years later at a MedFaire in Namron that I again encountered the SCA.  The
> people were friendly and I gained enough information to later find a local
> fighter's practice in Northkeep.  I soon learned that 'roll playing' was not
> really a part of the SCA as I had first hoped, which disappointed me.
>  However, there was a wealth of other activities that I soon came to love.
>  I have learned more about history, the fiber arts, music, dance and--oh the
> list goes on than I could have ever dreamed of.  And all at little or no
> cost.  The classes I've taken would cost a fortune in the 'real' world.
>  Most likely I would never have heard of naalbinding or mead had I not
> joined the SCA.  After watching the local fighters and envying the fun they
> were having I even put on armor (beautiful armor my husband made for me--I
> was a great looking corpse :-) ) for a short period of time until health
> interfered.
> A funny thing about the time period when I joined.  After a bit of research
> (pre-internet :-) ) expanding on what little I knew about the Middle Ages I
> decided that I would prefer to have an Arabic persona.  After all, the
> knowledge brought back from the Crusades was supposed to have been the great
> awakening for Europe according to what I had been taught in school.  But I
> was told by several people that a non European persona was frowned upon.  My
> solution was an Andalusian.  That's how Ismet was 'born'.  And though I at
> first resented having to find a 'European' solution, I now couldn't be
> happier that beautiful Cordoba was my home.  My point is that sometimes
> going with the flow results in something unexpectedly beneficial.  Now there
> are hundreds of Middle Eastern, Oriental and even New World persona people
> out there.  Times change, people's attitudes change and the SCA adapts.
>
> I have been hurt and disappointed over the twenty some years I've played.
>  It's going to happen when humans are involved.  You lick your wounds and go
> on.  Some of the best people I know are in the SCA and I am thankful to have
> met them.  Though I must say for me the greatest result of joining the SCA
> was meeting my husband.
> Ismet
>
>
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