[Ansteorra] The poor sad remnant of the SCA??

Chris Zakes dontivar at gmail.com
Wed Feb 6 07:30:05 PST 2013


At 11:00 PM 2/5/2013, you wrote:

>I have been reading these discussions with interest. There are a lot
>of great ideas, and I hope that many of them are implemented.  But as a
>relative newcomer I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I AM having fun; the
>events ARE magical; court is FULL of pageantry; and I've met with LOTS of
>chivalry and courtesy. I gather that it used to be better, and I guess I'm
>kind of naive ... but I think what we've got is still pretty great.
>
>Vigdis


For whatever it's worth, the notion that things were better in "the 
old days" is not a new concept. Here's a quote I like to dust off for 
situations like this:

"What is become of the gentility and inbred courtesy of ancient noble 
gentlemen? Where is the magnanimity of the honorable knights 
of  foregoing times, whose virtues as they are recorded in histories 
herein we read of them, so ought to have been left to their posterity 
that in them we might see the image (now forgotten) of ancient true 
nobility? But since all things fall to decay, it is no marvel though 
virtue (I speak with all due reverence and favor) be not found but in 
few: for surely there be many in whom nothing remaineth but the bare 
title of nobility, in that they be gentlemen born: who in their 
manners wholly degenerate from their ancestors, and make no account 
either of honor or dishonor, giving themselves to such pleasures as 
their unbridled appetite leadeth them unto."

                 -Vincentio Saviolo, "Of Honor and Honorable Quarrels" 1595

That, you will note, was written over 400 years ago. I believe 
Socrates said similar things about the world going down the tubes 
2400 years ago. As Vincenti said, lots of people are looking at the 
past through rose-colored glasses, glossing over the bad bits, the 
mundanities, the ugly politics and only remembering the things that 
were fun and worth remembering.

How do we fix this? Well, in a way, we can't; there will always be 
bad bits, mundanities, and ugly politics. But that doesn't mean there 
won't be fun bits, too. So focus on those fun bits and if you can, 
create a few of your own. Make that new item of clothing that's been 
niggling about in the back of your mind; go to an event in a place 
you've never been before; start an A&S project, maybe in a discipline 
you've never practiced before; volunteer to serve the feast or work 
the gate at your next local event; try fighting or archery. If you're 
new and shy, try stepping out of your comfort zone a bit and ask 
someone about their craft or clothes; if you've been around for a 
while, and a new person asks you about something, take the time to 
really *talk* to them about it, don't give them a three-word answer 
and then brush them off.

Just griping here about how things were so much better in the "good 
old days" won't do much. Get out and *do* something, and you'll 
probably see better results.

         -Tivar Moondragon
         Ansteorran fossil 




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