The Great Tree

[Professor Askew]

These are all valid points, Saxy, and I wouldn't dispute one of them.

However, I have a number of reasons for wanting my GT jacket. Here are two of them:

1) We do have a "fight" on our hands. Someone has to answer for Phil, I don't care if it's the DRC or the Bahro or whoever else. I want to know where he went. I want to know what happened to him. The Great Tree jacket is an excellent symbol of our unity on the issue of the missing Mr. Henderson.

2) I've been keeping the GT fires burning pretty steadily for the last three years. At least the idea of it. Many times it has been exhausting. I want to put a cap on those last three years with this symbol I can wear.
_________________
Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[Saxy]

I definitely agree that the Phil issue is important and something we should be pursuing, Prof. I feel like we haven't taken enough action on it yet to warrant the jackets, though. Sure, we've been bringing up the issue here and there, but I'd like to see more of an organized effort (whether it be calling a meeting with the DRC to discuss the Phil issue, actively seeking out members in the cavern to gain more insight, holding a public meeting on the issue, doing investigative research, etc.) before I start bugging anyone for my own Great Tree jacket. We may have been doing our own investigative research, I know I have, but I haven't seen a concerted effort between GT members yet.

There are some on the GT who have stuck around during the years between the opening of the cavern and there are others who have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the GT project. If those I'm referring to really want a jacket to prove their dedication to the GT, by all means, get your jacket back. However, I'll continue to bide my time and I maintain that this is "solely my opinion and not representative of the Great Tree group."
_________________

Not all who wander are lost... (MJ fixed my sig!)
KI: 38931

[Professor Askew]

Actually, I agree that it's too soon to make "requests" for the GT jacket. I wouldn't make a move on anything until the Cavern is officially re-opened, the dust has settled, and the DRC have fallen into some kind of routine. Patience is a virtue and I believe all good things will come in time.
_________________
Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[Durin Mephit]

Professor, you bring up a good question about Phil. But I'm not sure if that's the right issue to associate with the cause of obtaining the Jackets.

Regarding "Someone has to answer for Phil"... that really makes it look like we're picking a fight, looking for someone who is still around to blame when ultimately the responsibility for what happened to Phil rests on the shoulders of exactly one person: Phil himself.

Where I find the DRC to have culpability is in their unwillingness to talk about the issue in a frank and open-minded manner. While the question of Phil's disappearance continues to be evaded, I will continue to press to know: "Where is Phil?". But I hope that others understand the difference between asking for the truth to be uncovered, and holding someone responsibile. There is a difference.

I can't even blame the DRC for kidnapping Phil as they did anymore given the information we've unearthed. There are two key points to that: First, the DRC said all along they took Phil into custody to prevent him from hurting himself... and of course, when they let him go, we know what happened, so Phil's later actions justified the DRC's handling of the situation. Second, by accounts of those who spoke to Phil "in captivity", and by accounts of Phil's apparent powers manifesting in the days prior to his restraint, I find it highly specious to claim he was really being restrained at all. The only thing holding Phil hostage was Phil's perception that he could not or should not leave.

None of the above should be construed as an apology for our position on the events in 2003 as they happened. We all must make decisions based upon the evidence we have, and I think that The Great Tree was right to demand a better explanation from the DRC of Phil's treatment at that time. We hadn't yet had time to sift through all of the information, and we did not know what was yet to come, and the DRC seemed unwilling to provide more than a token justification for anything they did back then.

I like to think that we've all grown and learned from the experience.
_________________
Durin Mephit * Member of Guild of Messengers - Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.
rel.to | Marten KI: 59474 | Durin M KI: 11883768

[BladeLakem]

I'm just a newbie around the GT, so I don't think I have any claim to one of the jackets (though I wouldn't say no to one either ). But I understand that symbols are important, not all important and definitely not a substitute for reason and thought, but they are important.

Just as words become messengers of infromation, symbols become messengers as well. I think we all see that every time we see a Journey cloth, or a bahroglyph. That tells us soemthing about what has happened there, or what it means to someone. By putting on a Yeesha shirt, you are teling people something. The same with a Great Tree jacket.
_________________
.yahvo kehnehn taigahntahv .taigahntahv bihv

Myst Embassy: http://www.mystembassy.net
Myst Headlines - http://news.mystembassy.net
MOULagain KI#27460

[Tweek]

[BladeLakem]

Hmm... not to get too overly mystic, but we are always choosing sides of one sort or another.

I think a lot of us are nice easy-going people who want to get along with everyone we can, be they DRC, explorer or even Bahro. Nothing wrong with that. But we are finite beings. We have boundaries, edges. Without saying 'this is where I begin and end', we become indefinite, intangible.

We take sides. That's how people are. That doesn't preclude thought, reason and consideration. But we make decisions. We always make decisions. And that's how we be who we are. Whoever the heck that is.

So, yeah. It's important to be mindful, reasonable, sensitive and compassionate. But if a group of people take pride in their association, and their chosen symbol, there is nothing wrong with that.
_________________
.yahvo kehnehn taigahntahv .taigahntahv bihv

Myst Embassy: http://www.mystembassy.net
Myst Headlines - http://news.mystembassy.net
MOULagain KI#27460

[JohnLynch]

As I lay here in Relto trying to get to sleep, I had an idea. Instead of taking an area (or begging for an area) for yourselves, why not simply use one of the instances Yeesha has provided us with? For example designate Brian's Teledahn as the "Official Great Tree Gathering Area" and for every official Great Tree member have Brian privately invite them to his Teledahn via the Nexus.

That would give you a private area just for your group that only you can access. Although to limit access, Brian would need to show restraint and not invite people to his private Teledahn who aren't GT members.

If not Brian and Teledahn, then someone else with some other Age. Whatever the Age and whoever does it, the idea remains the same.
_________________

[Professor Askew]

This is a very interesting idea, John, one that TGT should really think about.
_________________
Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[BladeLakem]

Hrm... yeah good idea John
_________________
.yahvo kehnehn taigahntahv .taigahntahv bihv

Myst Embassy: http://www.mystembassy.net
Myst Headlines - http://news.mystembassy.net
MOULagain KI#27460

[tkwiggins]

If an outsider may respectfully chime in here...

When I see the names of the folks on this forum, I associate them with positive attributes (reason, dedication and fair play being primary among them) which are based on reading their posts over the years.

When I imagine the image of a group of people all wearing identical (dark leather) jackets, I associate them with negative attributes (none of which I need mention here) which are based on cultural conditioning.

I think it's a fairly certain bet that images of GT group activities in GT jackets will trigger culturally conditioned, deeply seated, negative associations in the majority of the cavern population -- and may well inhibit public trust in and support of the GT, if not arouse active suspicion and antagonism.

[Rils]

[Mystlander]

[Moiety Jean]

[Professor Askew]