[NR] Re: [Northern] Please make it stop!

[dhartzm at dellepro.com]

Unto Robert,

I was completely aghast when I read the post that Their Excellancies have
been asked to step down.  I don't get out much to play so I know nothing of
the politics and gossips out there.  It also distressed me to read that you
were considering on leaving.  I am pleased to see that you have
reconsidered.

What can be done regarding the situation of Their Excellancies?  I was alway
proud to declare them as our Baron/Baroness.

Debroa
----- Original Message -----
From: <Fitzmorgan at cs.com>
To: <northern at ansteorra.org>
Cc: <catan at webzone.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 11:45 PM
Subject: [Northern] Please make it stop!


> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> I spent most of the evening writing this and just as I was about to post
it I
> got word that the Crown has removed My Baron and Baroness.  I don't know
why.
>  I feel like I've been kicked in the gut.  I wasn't sure if I should post
> this or not.  I'm stil not.  But maybe it will help.  The part about not
> going anywhere I'm not so sure about anymore.
>
> Robert
>
>
>        I've had a few people wondering "What's up with Robert?".  It has
been
> a rough couple of weeks.
>         At Namron's investiture last year I couldn't think of anything
that
> would be neater than to be Ulf's Bard, except to be Bard of Ansteorra.
When
> that didn't happen I resolved to come back and try again this year.  As
> Beltane approached I found that I was looking for reasons not to go, and
> slowly I realized that I did not want to be the Bard of Namron because
that
> would obligate me to keep playing for another year.  I was rather
surprised
> as the implications of THAT thought sank in.  I realized that I didn't
want
> to do this anymore.  I realized that I wasn't having fun anymore.  There
are
> a lot of reasons, but one of them was that I'm just sick of seeing people
I
> care about being hurt.  Another Is that I haven't done anything that
> challenged me in a long time.  Nothing that required me to grow or learn
or
> stretch myself.
>        I went to Eldern this weekend with the express purpose of seeing if
I
> could manage to have a good time.  I didn't.  So I began the process of
> divesting myself of many of the obligations I had assumed so that I would
be
> free to leave without leaving anybody in the lurch.  I hadn't actually
> decided to leave, I was just setting things up where I could If I decided
to
> later.  Then something happened Saturday night that didn't really sink in
> until after I got home.  I overheard a conversation where someone was
talking
> trash about My Baroness.  And I didn't say anything because I didn't want
to
> cause a fuss.  And after I got home and started thinking about it and
> realized that I had sat by and remained silent while someone attacked a
> person I admire and consider a friend and who has been very good to me
over
> the years, and someone who I know would have defended me in that
situation,
> and I felt ashamed of myself.  Not the least because this wasn't the first
> time I had remained silent in this situation.  I have listened to the
lies,
> sometimes believed them, and even repeated them.  I went to an event to
have
> fun and relax and came home angry and ashamed.  Something had to change.
I
> can't change what other people do but I can change what I do.  It wasn't
too
> late to speak out.  That's what prompted my post of a few days ago.
>        Since then I've recieved several messages of encouragement both
public
> and private.  Thank all of you.  I especially want to thank those who had
the
> courage to admit that they too have been guilty of this.  It helped.  What
> helped most of all were the postings by Gillian and Aelfwyn about the
> memories that bring them joy.  I'm feeling better.  I'm not saying all
this
> because I want sympathy or because I want to make people feel bad.  It's
not
> easy for me to be this open but I think that it's important to make people
> understand one very important thing.  When you talk bad about someone,
that
> person is somebody's friend, perhaps somebody's mentor, maybe even
somebody's
> hero.  When you attack someone your words hurt more than just the person
you
> are attacking.  Ultimately they diminish us all.
>        I also realized that I was about to do something that I had
recently
> been critical of others for.  Not fighting for what I believe in.  Folks
I'm
> not going anywhere.  At least not without trying to make it better. I'm
going
> to stay and fight for what I believe in.  I believe in Ansteorra.  I
believe
> in my friends.  I believe that we can be better than we are.  I believe
that
> if we work together we can do anything.  I believe that we are the finest
> people in the world.  We just need to be reminded of that occasionally.
And
> I believe that if I try hard enough I can make a difference.
>        I want to leave you with a thought I had today that left me smiling
> the rest of the day.  I hope the image will take hold in others the way it
> did me and make you look at things differently.
>
>        When a fighter walks onto the list field he is doing two things.
He
> is pitting himself against his opponent to see who will be the victor, and
he
> is publicly in full view of everyone putting his or her honor to the test.
> He walks onto that field determined that win or loose he will walk off
that
> field with his honor intact.  He will never strike from behind, or strike
a
> defenseless opponent.  He will not take an unfair advantage and will treat
> his opponent with courtesy and chivalry.  And win or lose they will walk
off
> the field as comrades.
>        What if we conducted all our affairs off the field by that same
> standard?  That win or lose we will leave with our honor intact.  That we
> will never attack from behind or attack someone who can't defend
themselves.
> That we will never take an unfair advantage and will always treat each
other
> with courtesy and chivalry, and that we will always behave as if we are
> publicly in full view of everyone putting our honor to the test.  Because
we
> are.
>
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