Sorry, Lloyd. As much respect as I have for you, I don't understand your point of view at all. Let me repeat: at all. All I keep thinking is "A wiseman profits by the mistakes of others" and cannot help but wonder why you find value in reinventing the wheel.I'm living in a vacuum and avoiding the living organisation!!????????????? and here's me thought I was almost a part of it!! Lloyd Charles
But never mind.
In response to Steve's points, and perhaps yours:
I'm not looking to remove the archives from use by members. That's never been an issue. The archives continue. My issue with the archives are that they are used by people who take without returning anything. If they came to the list and asked the same questions, they would either be referred to the archives because the question is often asked or the answer is stagnant, or, hopefully, some practitioner on this list would have an answer from their own experiences.
In this regard, the archives actually stifle discussion on this list and they definitely encourage some people to not bother to join the list. Being steeped in AP at the moment, I think it's a crying shame to even imagine that there are people working on learning biodynamics who think they can learn it without working with a group.
Participation is a function of health.
I find it very discouraging that through our recorded dialogues that we are enabling individuals who are avoiding participation and are by-passing the sort of exchanges that occur on this list.
When someone like Merla (I hope you don't mind being used as a good example) joins the list and asks every question that she needs to ask, it stimulates EVERYONE who cares about Merla's circumstance to search their own experience for ways to advise her to handle the situations in her county. It's a great stimulus.
All I'm 'regretting,' Lloyd and Steve, is setting up a way of short changing reciprocation and an effort toward co-evolution while enabling those who avoid working in community.
You know, the whole 'bowling alone' thing. Of course want to slide with the times. That's luxury cannot befall traditionalists, however.