NR - Maybe this is a stupid comment, but...

Ulf Gunnarsson ulfie at mmcable.com
Thu Aug 31 21:58:47 PDT 2000


Kat said:
> I don't think there was ever the perception that the event was for
> any one local group.  Certainly Wiesenfeuer never demanded or
> claimed to be entitled to more credit than any other group.  Had
> that happened, I think the event would have died that first year.

You know, I just sat here for five minutes trying to put my thoughts into
words.  This subject is hard to define, because it sits close to the hearts
of many people.  Thus, it takes many words to express.

The way I looked at it, Wiesenfeuer had an event for the kingdom and asked
everyone up here in the North to help them with it.  They'd take
responsibility for co-ordinating it, and the rest of us would help them by
taking charge of individual activities.  I had no problem calling it a
"Regional Event", because everyone in the region was invited to help.  If
Northkeep, Eldern, or Wastelands has run it instead, it still would have
been the same kind of thing.  It was "OUR" event, "us'uns", "we'all", etc.
The North.  And a group stepped forward, and an autocrat put her sanity on
the line... :)

A few years later, the kingdom took note of our actions, and defined for the
benefit of all what it takes to run a "regional" event.  They used the
exacting words of law to do this, capturing as well they could the inexact
currents and feelings behind NRT.  Why?  I guess because "we'uns" set such a
good example that other areas of the kingdom wanted to follow suit.

I still view NRT as "our" event, the North getting together to put on a good
event for one another and send a little money back to Ansteorra's coffers.
And to show the rest of the Known World how to work and still have a good
time.  We get things accomplished that benefit us, helping out the folk who
cannot travel as far by bringing some of that back here.

And I feel NRT was a success *because* it had one group in charge.  I hate
governance by committee; if I had wanted that I would have joined the
Society for Creative Democracy.  Committees tend to argue about the best way
to boil eggs.  With a single autocrat/steward, they say "Three minutes".
Right or wrong, it's three minutes.  But at least the egg gets cooked.  And
if it's wrong, we'll do better next year.

So thank you, Wiesenfeuer.  I have enjoyed several great NR Tributes under
your stewardship, and hope to see more in the future following the example
you set.

Baron Ulf


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