[Bards] Just a few words (really good words

Michael Silverhands silverhands at sbcglobal.net
Wed Nov 8 11:08:44 PST 2006


On Nov 8, 2006, at 12:44 PM, Jay Rudin wrote:

> ... As near as I can tell, {Michael}, Alden and Finnacan
> are upset with me because:
> a. You're afraid it will be too exclusionary, and
> b. I  don't want to give final answers without talking to more people.
> C'mon, guys, it can't be both.
>

Nope. Not upset with you. Frustrated at trying to figure out what we  
were talking about, and wanting to resolve that before I was willing  
to move past that point. And frustrated at your refusal to seek or  
share even preliminary opinions, in the apparent fear that some  
people would mistake those for "final answers". C'mon, Robin. You've  
gotta start somewhere. ;-)

Like almost all frustrations, they were born of the difference  
between what I wanted/expected and what I was seeing/perceiving. If I  
came across as upset with you personally, I apologize. I was not, and  
am not.

I've tried to address the shortfall in my own understanding with a  
little questionnaire in another thread. Who knows? Maybe some good  
will come of it. If nothing else, I think it will help folks to  
understand what the heck we are trying to talk about. It might help  
the conversation get some traction. Right now, frankly, it's not  
making much headway.

> But my proposal remains exactly what I keep telling you it is: we get
> together regularly, in mutual support and collegiality.
>

Ok. I can get behind that. And I think that's an excellent starting  
point -- and possibly ending point. After all, if our mission is  
first, last, and foremost "to meet", then there's really not much  
more to define. :-)

I *still* don't see how putting up a poster announcing "Meeting of  
bards to discuss bardic in room 4" would be less wonderful or  
productive than "Meeting of the College of Bards to discuss bardic in  
room 4". Is it really just a difference in nomenclature? The latter  
sounds niftier, but it also sounds more exclusionary on the face of it.

But that doesn't mean that I will stand in anyone's way if they  
choose to do so. I'm willing to go out into the meadow with you and  
see these bees you keep talking about, if it comes to that.

>
> But that's the proposal.
>
> Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin

Michael Silverhands / Michael Tucker




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