[Artemisia] Why do we do what we do?

[LadyPDC at aol.com]

I loved to see that question come up because it made me think (like I don't 
do enough of that right?)

And I realized that the answer for me was often "what day is it?"  (or even 
sometimes what time of the day).

Because the reason I do what I do often is different depending on what is 
going on in my life right then.   There are times that I love the pure enjoyment 
of researching and that moment when you find something new or even something 
that overturns previous thought.  Even when what you find is old news but new 
to you, the moment of finding and knowing that you found it through your own 
labor is reward in and of itself.

Then there are the times when everything else seems to be turning against you 
no matter what you do and in the middle of that turmoil you get the joy of 
hearing some herald call you up in front of everyone.  You approach the thrones 
on trembling legs, sure that with everything else that has gone wrong lately 
you are probably about to be publicly drummed out of this group.  Then, halfway 
through the speaking, you realize that you are being recognized for something 
you would have done anyway but isn't it nice that someone noticed it and that 
someone else is acknowledging it publicly?  Yes, there are times when even I 
do think of the possibility of recognition while doing something, usually at 
the times when I most need some little upper in my life.

And there are also the times when I am doing a thing, often a thing I might 
not really want to do, because someone needed to do it.  Because we all have a 
responsibility to do the not so fun things in order that the group might be 
around to support the fun things that we do like to do.  Yup, there are times 
when I do something just because of a "martyr complex". <g>

And you know something ... there is nothing wrong with any of those reasons.  
Perhaps the only time any of them would be wrong (and yes, I include doing 
something for awards) would be if a person ONLY did things for that reason and 
that one alone.

I suspect (to refer back to the discussion on peer qualities that started 
this offshoot) that the real peer quality looked for is one that is not 
mentioned.  That one would be balance.  How well do they manage to maintain a balance 
of all of the other peer qualities?  How well do they balance society life and 
real life?  Do they manage to find a balance somewhere between "suck-up" and 
"stuck-up"?  Hmmmm ....  maybe we should have an award somewhere either just 
before or just after peer level whose symbol is just a scale and a few well 
labeled weights.

OK - someone take this darn soapbox away, I could have sworn I chopped it up 
for firewood a few months ago.



Lady Constance de la Rose
Barony of Loch Salann
Kingdom of Artemisia

"Never say a thing's impossible,
For chances are you'll rue it.
Because some fool who doesn't know,
Will come along and do it."
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