NR - Principality

[Chandranath]

On Fri, Sep 08, 2000 at 08:04:46AM -0500, Phillip Stallcup wrote:
> Speaking of job, isn't it funny how so many aspire to have higher ranks,
> which in turn give responsibilities that at some point start taking away
> from the activities they did to achieve the award in the first place?  I'm
> not being negative, really I'm smiling, but take a King/Queen who is a
> Pelican who got the Pelican for say cleaning/setup/helping at every event,
> they would find it difficult to do that as King or Queen.

Lord Llyogden, I'm not sure I see the point behind your example.  In nine
months from becoming Prince or Princess, the person you describe would still
be a Pelican, but would no longer be a royal.  This is the wisdom of the
system as it stands; a royal is something that some of us (not all of us, but
I have no intention of releasing _that_ djinn) can aspire to be, perhaps
achieve, and then are done.  Maybe our hypothetical person will do it again.
Maybe they'll do it five or six times. :)  But the activities are a forever
kind of opportunity, because they'll be there when the reign ends.  This
applies to landed Baron/esses, too, on a longer scale; when they choose to end
their term, the activities'll still be there.  Heck, milord, you yourself are
a Knight Marshal.  The fact is that it gives responsibilities, as you say,
that may take away from activities you did to get where you are.  If it
doesn't, well, good for you. :)  If it does, those activities will be there
when you are no longer Knight Marshal.

Okay, that went a little long.  My point is that the SCA -- to me -- is great
because you can reinvent your hobby every day.  I am not commending abdicating
responsibilities -- nor do I think the example above describes someone doing
that.  After, say, ten years of serving by being a leader in event setup,
being royals for a term might be a fun change.  I did heraldry, now I focus on
rapier, and play music on the side.  Her Excellency Gunhilda -- a Pelican,
while we're talking about them -- has in the last couple of years taken up
rapier fighting.  On the other hand, Countess Kayleigh, while a Dona, became
Queen.  It is this ability to shift focus around that keeps the SCA new and
fresh, I believe, and what permits many people (myself included, being of
notoriously short attention span) to play for years upon years.  Growth is
good.

The last point being exactly why I support principality.  (You knew I'd work
it in.) :)

Chandra

-- 
Lord Chandranath, Cadet to Don Timothy
Musician in the King's Players
Deputy Regional Herald, Northern Ansteorra
Rapier Marshal and Captain of the Plumes of the Shire of Mooneschadowe
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