Certainly somebody has already written an article somewhere
concerning the pros and cons of joining the NSS and the benefits
of joining.
Below are just some opinions:
New cavers or cavers that are not very active, and who don't live in
karst areas with active organized
caving going on, are not going to be easily convinced to join the NSS.
I first heard about the NSS in 1984 when I was a sophomore in college,
living far
from karst in a grotto that was not actively caving.
The student grotto president passed out a recruiting brochure.
I wanted to join the NSS immediately upon seeing that, for no logical reason
other than to feel somehow connected to caving, but most of the
student cavers there
would not join.
Perks of joining:
I love the NSS and one of the best investments I ever made in life
was purchasing a life-membership.
The NSS conventions are fun, but you are not required to be a member to
attend. However, it would be more practical to join, if you do plan to attend
the convention.
Nearly everyone I have ever met thru the NSS was great,
and in almost all cases I only wished I could have developed better
friendships with them, instead
of the once-a-year hello-goodbye type relationship ( ask Don if there
is a word for that ? ).
I miss not seeing my NSS friends regularly, and I am sure there are
cavers who feel the
same way about other cavers they have met thru the NSS. That is
one of the reasons
I drove to and from northwestern Vermont from southeast Texas this past summer.
Reasons some may not join:
One thing that I see, is that there are so many caving organizations to join
or to somehow get involved in. For example, you could dedicate your life
to caving by just being really active in the AMCS or the CRF or the TCMA.
What I am saying is you don't have to be an NSS member to make a significant
contribution to caving.
Another thing is the competition from outside of caving. There may
be 1,000 or
so U.S. cavers who practically live underground and stay active in
various caving organizations
like the NSS, but the other 50,000 plus cavers have lives that
conflict with that.
For example, someone can love caves and cavers, but they can be so dedicated
to their job or family or to an ill relative, or they live far from
karst, etc, that trying
to be active in the NSS is not feasible.
The con's of joining:
Whenever you get sucked into a group,
the first thing they want is your blood. You will be asked to get
off your rear, and volunteer
for something, or you will be labeled, and the label will never wear off.
Eventually, they want your money, and if you don't give it, same as
above. Then there is the politics
and the getting along with other NSS members who have different
priorities. And then
you find that some people no matter how hard you try just can't be
pleased. And
then, you find that even though you dedicated your life to the NSS,
that it still wasn't
good enough. And eventually much of your efforts and dedication
becomes forgotten.
One thing that is changing the scenery is the on-line caver activity.
Why be an
NSS member when everything you need to know is already on-line? I
think the answer
to that is so other cavers will take you seriously. I don't know
which on-line forums
require NSS membership. Someone else can post that.
In summary: join the NSS. Here are just 2 of it's Facebook links:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=103541480620
http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Speleological-Society/109564239062444?v=wall
David Locklear
NSS # 27639
P.S.
On a related note,
According to the NSS member's manual there are 50 to 100 cavers in my
region that are NSS members. I have tried to contact many of them over
the years and had almost zero response. Last year, I diligently
tried very hard to
contact all of them to invite them to the East Texas Caver's Cookout, but
none showed up, and only 3 or 4 even responded to my e-mail. Had this
been a caver gathering in a karst area with active grottos,
then the member's manual might have been more productive, however, I have
heard attendance is down at several of these types caver gatherings,
compared to the 80's.
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