[Ansteorra] was the saddness of the sca - Now the Awesomeness of the SCA!!!

[Doug Copley]

I am having fun, doing things, making friends, and trying to improve.

First - I am not pointing fingers at anyone, I am speaking of human nature.

I think that this conversation has been a little bit like a drug addict,
when they first start it only takes a little bit to make them happy, as
time goes on they "need" more and more and more to get to where they feel
happy. Perhaps we have the same thing going now in the SCA. I have seen
pictures of past events and I hear stories of past events and I know a
little pit of human nature, and they don't match up. When people think of
the "Good 'Ol Days!" they forget the carpet worn as armor and remember the
knight wearing shinning armor, they forget the bugs, the lack of toilets,
or broken toilets and instead they only remember the camp fire. They forget
that the court was held in an old building or under an old military GP tent
and only remember that so-and-so got knighted. None of this is bad, except
perhaps with the fond memories they remember the parts they loved and
enjoyed and they now want the entire event to be that way and lament how
pathetic things are now because the stain on the poles of a period baronial
pavilion was not the correct color shade:-(

I prefer to focus on what we do have and the things we get to do. We know a
great deal more about A&S, fighting styles, archery, makeup, clothing,
habits, manners, and actual events then was known 30 years ago. We can
accomplish more research now on the internet in a single evening then they
could in 6 months when they had to request books from other libraries, and
try to find things.

So maybe, just maybe, we are not so bad off? Maybe we should look at some
of the great things that are going on and that we have and be happy for
them. Then look at some of the not so great things and figure out how to
improve them.

Vincenti