SCA, and under 30 years old
May. 11th, 2021 09:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
storytimewithjoeGather ‘round chilllins and let Uncle G tell you a story.
When I stumbled across the SCA, I think the stars just aligned. I had found fellow geeks! I had found inspiration! I had found my tribe! And all at once, the creative juices began to flow, not only with artsy projects, but with ideas, ideas, ideas about all the things that we could do!
And with that, I ran into my very first bit of conflict in the SCA.
I remember all too well being such an enthusiastic noob that I got on people’s nerves with my frenetic energy. I know this. I know that sometimes my ideas were just general concepts without the structure to back them. I know this. I know that sometimes, people just had a bad day, and I got the brunt of it. I know this. I know I was a handful. And I appreciate the patience and guidance of those who helped to steer me in the right direction. But you know something? I never forgot how FRUSTRATING it was to constantly get the door slammed in my face when I had an idea.
When people are new, they get excited. And I think the WORST thing that any of us can do is to quench that spark. It is easy to just say, “no”. It takes a lot more time and energy to guide, instruct, explain, and remain open-minded. But I think for the sake of the future, those of us who have been around for a while need – NEED – to seriously challenge ourselves to do just that.
Think about it. So often, many of us get stuck in our routine. We like our routine. So when somebody younger and newer comes along and proposes something different, it can come across as a threat to what we know and what we hold dear. How you feel is how you feel. I am not going to tell you how you should feel. But I would like to give you some advice on how you react. Please…. Keep an open mind and remember something. If a newer member has presented a new idea, that took guts. It took a leap of faith and perhaps even some daring for that person to propose something different. And you now have the power. Are you going to be supportive and a mentor? Or, are you going to bring down the hammer?
When I was in my early years of the SCA, I remember some of the key old-timers were seriously getting on my nerves by constantly telling me, “no.” There was rarely an explanation. And when there was, it felt like being pat on the head by a wise elder who viewed me as unimportant. And I never forgot that feeling. And back then, I made myself a promise – if I am still around years later and become an “old timer” with some degree of influence, then I would make it my job to be available to new people to chat, to bounce ideas, to empower, and to educate. Now, that doesn’t mean I will always support an idea. But rather than just saying, “No,” I would always welcome discussion. After all, just because an idea had been tried before with less than stellar results, does not mean the idea itself is bad. Maybe the timing just wasn’t right? Maybe the people just didn’t want it at that time. Maybe there were other outside factors involved? There are all kinds of factors that go into the success of a project. And for my part, I would rather work on how to make it happen than to nuke both the idea as well as the enthusiasm.
I have seen a lot of conversation lately about the greying of the SCA, and worries about the future, etc., etc. Yet, the solution is right there – right in front of everybody’s face. If we want the SCA to continue for future generations, we need to hand it over to them. And guess what? That means letting go of control, and recognizing that the game needs to change – not just for the sake of change – but to meet the wants and needs of those people who are going to take over, do the work, and drive events in the decades to come.
To the younger peeps out there, nothing – NOTHING – about the SCA is carved in stone, no matter who tells you otherwise. The rules can be changed. Traditions evolve. Changes do in fact happen. If you feel that the game is missing something, and you have ideas, let’s talk about it. I don’t care how small the idea is, or how radical it may be. There is no harm in asking questions, bouncing ideas, examining the past, and looking into our future. But I think the best way to do that is to work TOGETHER. Newcomers, you can absolutely benefit from the experience of old-timers like myself. And I hope that I am always open to you if for nothing else than to tell you the mistakes I made in the past. Old-timers, the survival of this game depends entirely upon those who are ready, willing, and able to take over when we no longer can. So let’s help them!
Let’s work together.
Let’s empower our younger people.
And for crying out loud – please stop defaulting with an emphatic, “NO!”
When I stumbled across the SCA, I think the stars just aligned. I had found fellow geeks! I had found inspiration! I had found my tribe! And all at once, the creative juices began to flow, not only with artsy projects, but with ideas, ideas, ideas about all the things that we could do!
And with that, I ran into my very first bit of conflict in the SCA.
I remember all too well being such an enthusiastic noob that I got on people’s nerves with my frenetic energy. I know this. I know that sometimes my ideas were just general concepts without the structure to back them. I know this. I know that sometimes, people just had a bad day, and I got the brunt of it. I know this. I know I was a handful. And I appreciate the patience and guidance of those who helped to steer me in the right direction. But you know something? I never forgot how FRUSTRATING it was to constantly get the door slammed in my face when I had an idea.
When people are new, they get excited. And I think the WORST thing that any of us can do is to quench that spark. It is easy to just say, “no”. It takes a lot more time and energy to guide, instruct, explain, and remain open-minded. But I think for the sake of the future, those of us who have been around for a while need – NEED – to seriously challenge ourselves to do just that.
Think about it. So often, many of us get stuck in our routine. We like our routine. So when somebody younger and newer comes along and proposes something different, it can come across as a threat to what we know and what we hold dear. How you feel is how you feel. I am not going to tell you how you should feel. But I would like to give you some advice on how you react. Please…. Keep an open mind and remember something. If a newer member has presented a new idea, that took guts. It took a leap of faith and perhaps even some daring for that person to propose something different. And you now have the power. Are you going to be supportive and a mentor? Or, are you going to bring down the hammer?
When I was in my early years of the SCA, I remember some of the key old-timers were seriously getting on my nerves by constantly telling me, “no.” There was rarely an explanation. And when there was, it felt like being pat on the head by a wise elder who viewed me as unimportant. And I never forgot that feeling. And back then, I made myself a promise – if I am still around years later and become an “old timer” with some degree of influence, then I would make it my job to be available to new people to chat, to bounce ideas, to empower, and to educate. Now, that doesn’t mean I will always support an idea. But rather than just saying, “No,” I would always welcome discussion. After all, just because an idea had been tried before with less than stellar results, does not mean the idea itself is bad. Maybe the timing just wasn’t right? Maybe the people just didn’t want it at that time. Maybe there were other outside factors involved? There are all kinds of factors that go into the success of a project. And for my part, I would rather work on how to make it happen than to nuke both the idea as well as the enthusiasm.
I have seen a lot of conversation lately about the greying of the SCA, and worries about the future, etc., etc. Yet, the solution is right there – right in front of everybody’s face. If we want the SCA to continue for future generations, we need to hand it over to them. And guess what? That means letting go of control, and recognizing that the game needs to change – not just for the sake of change – but to meet the wants and needs of those people who are going to take over, do the work, and drive events in the decades to come.
To the younger peeps out there, nothing – NOTHING – about the SCA is carved in stone, no matter who tells you otherwise. The rules can be changed. Traditions evolve. Changes do in fact happen. If you feel that the game is missing something, and you have ideas, let’s talk about it. I don’t care how small the idea is, or how radical it may be. There is no harm in asking questions, bouncing ideas, examining the past, and looking into our future. But I think the best way to do that is to work TOGETHER. Newcomers, you can absolutely benefit from the experience of old-timers like myself. And I hope that I am always open to you if for nothing else than to tell you the mistakes I made in the past. Old-timers, the survival of this game depends entirely upon those who are ready, willing, and able to take over when we no longer can. So let’s help them!
Let’s work together.
Let’s empower our younger people.
And for crying out loud – please stop defaulting with an emphatic, “NO!”
