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KnightofMists -> RE: Fork in the River (12/20/2005 5:39:30 PM)
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I have enjoyed several of the thoughts that have been shared so far and wish to share a few reflections on what I posted. I will add that no answer was right or wrong… they are only our opinions on what we feel and think … very much like life in general.
Nothing is known for certain when we go down a river or our journey of life. All the preparations and knowledge of what is coming ahead can’t be for certain. As a person that has canoed down rivers and friends that have done it as well…. All the preparations and maps and opinions from those that have traveled a river before you can’t tell you everything that is going to come ahead. This lifestyle is like that as well. Our individual uniqueness will cause us to see the information before us differently. We each assess risk differently and have different tolerance to the risks we perceive.
When we look upon the analogy I drew… we make assumptions based on our own perspective. They may or may not have known of the water falls that lead to certain death. However, the probability that they all knew is highly likely since at least one slave demonstrated the knowledge. We only assume that the 3rd slave has this knowledge because the Master changed the direction he was going. The whisper could have been anything and not at all related to the danger ahead. I also make the opinion that we as a community are quick to make the certain dangers known to those around us. Online or Offline we as a community not only promote our way of life but we seek to do it in a safe manner. Dangers are quick to be highlighted. It is of course not uncommon that the more subtle dangers go unnoticed, but the greater and more certain the danger, the more aware we are of its existence However, the actual knowledge of what the different Masters knew in navigating the river is only an assumption. All we see is that they made a choice and we are rarely privileged to know the actual interactions between Master and slave. Of the four relationships, we only see two instances that we become privileged to witness the interaction and we still only see a sliver of the entire relationship, but yet we will be quick to make assumptions of the whole.
In first relationship, the Master chooses to take the left fork. He didn’t ask the slave for their opinion that we saw… and this is the key… just because we didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t occur.
In the second relationship, the Master chooses to take the right. Now we can assume that the community didn’t make them aware of the great or certain risk before them or we can assume that they were made aware. So why would the Master take a risk that as one said was a waterfall of certain death. It is a question of risk tolerance. Many choose to take a path that is of a higher risk that we as a community are willing to take. Also, it is very likely that this Master’s plan was to actually land the canoe before the falls and carry the canoe with the slave. The risks are greater down this one fork… but the choice is theirs to make, we don’t always know the skills and plans of those around us. We also will have different risk awareness and tolerance. But often we judge these individuals not on there abilities and knowledge… for we actually in truth don’t know them… but we judge them on our own abilities and knowledge. We can only judge ourselves by that standard not others.
The third relationship, the Master changed direction after a whisper from the slave. Some I am sure assumed the slave was making the Master aware of the danger. Maybe the slave was just making the Master aware that her ankle is sore and carrying the canoe would be highly difficult. The reasons why the Master changed the direction is not for certain, except the slave information changed the Masters decision. We as Masters often change the decisions we make because of the little things we learn from the slave. The thoughts and feelings of a slave are critical on many occasions. How this exchange occurs will be different for every relationship, some we become privileges to see, and others we don’t and when we do it is but only a small piece of a bigger puzzle.
The fourth relationship, the Master directly asked the slave for their opinion. It is not uncommon that Masters directly ask the slave. We know the Master’s intentions is to go to the right, If we continue with the assumption that the great and certain danger has been revealed by the community… then why would the Master want to take this path. Was it to follow a Master of greater experience and learn? Was it because he also had a plan to disembark and carry the canoe. But he also looked to the opinion of his slave. The slave was only concerned of the risk. The slave may or may not have known the plan to disembark. As we travel this lifestyle, if we don’t have a plan we tend to follow the majority of the community. We avoid the greater risks until our knowledge grows and also our tolerance for that risk.
These are only a few thoughts to share. One can go on forever on a post like this. I think the most interesting is to consider the assumptions we make in viewing the situation. Learning how we perceive the world and others is in my opinion of great value for our growth. I will also add that the terms Master/slave was just used for simplicity and they could be interchange with whatever terms/labels one wishes to use.
Thanks for the thoughts
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