[Sca-cooks] Politics rant

[Philippa Alderton]

Sieggy, and all who allow SCA politics to control your
SCA lives,

It serves you right.

The only Peerage that isn't entirely controlled by
politics is the Royal Peerage, and considering that
some Kingdoms are going to Invitation Only Crown
Tourneys, chances are they'll all be political plums.

So what?

When I first moved over here, a person who is
conversant with EK politics and disliked the incoming
Crown, said, laughingly, "And now he's going to be
YOUR king". I told the person, that that wasn't a
problem, I could treat him just exactly as I had
treated any I had disliked in the MK- ignore them long
enough, and sooner or later, they'll go away.

Now, I've been in SCA for a while. I've seen many good
Peers, and a few not so good Peers. I've seen folk I
think should be Peers, and folk I wouldn't trust to
pick their own noses. So what?

What on this green earth requires that I spend time
worrying about what other people are, think, or do? I
can't control them, and I have no desire to. They
can't control me, whether they want to or not, unless
I let them.

There are Peers I'm aware of, Laurels, who, as near as
I can tell, are totally clueless about what good
research in their touted specialty is, but unless they
make grandiose, unrealistic claims about their
specialties, I'm going to ignore them- they just ain't
worth my time. There are far too many good folk out
there, Peers and non-Peers, to worry about the idiots.

I've been lucky enough to get some good advice from
some very good people. Adamantius sits on me usually,
when I get angry and wired, but he was busy a while
back, so I asked another Peer whom I like and respect,
for some advice in a difficulty I was having with a
particular person. I was mad enough to nail them, but
I was really trying to behave, because I knew I was
really much more upset about something else.

I asked Cariadoc, whom I love to argue with and tease,
because he makes me laugh- and sometimes, I'm not
really sure if he knows how funny he is, which makes
me laugh harder ;-) It turned out the same person had
been trying to cause him difficulties, and his comment
was, "Most of the time I ignore (them); arguing with
people who don't like you isn't much fun." And he's
absolutely right.

We're out here to have fun, and if we're not having
fun, we're doing something wrong. Much of the
political complaining I hear is about awards- "I, he,
she, it, they" can't get an award because of
"politics" - usually, bottom line, coming back to "I".
Well, tell you what, people, if you're not having fun
any more because you didn't get that award, it serves
you right. That award doesn't do a damn thing for you
except make you feel good, and masturbation would
probably not only do a better job, but is an
infinitely renewable resource.

Nobody out there can take from you the things that
really count- the satisfaction of learning a new
skill, or improving an old one, the ability everyone
has to share something with someone else, or to help
someone else. Recognition is nice, but accomplishment
is better- and if you're doing nice things just so
other folks can see what a wonderful person you are,
you're probably pretty miserable.

So, why worry about politics? Who cares what other
people think? If you're working at being the best at
whatever you can be, and it makes you happy, then you
win. Ignore the naysayers, and enjoy yourself- you
can't lose.

Phlip,

very tired lately of people obsessing about other
people's ill-founded opinions.


=====
Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....

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