Veteran Mudcatters have NOT been in the same place new members are now-- Mudcat has changed quite a bit, a bit at a time as you see it, but it can be very confusing to be new here now.

I agree with the person who said this is like any church... all the archtypes are right here, with people who might seem to believe in defending each OTHER's viewpoints arguing for their own instead. It's the old, old story of tradition entrenched without seeing that it has become entrenched> It becomes patronizing with no one meaning for it to come across that way. People defend their motives without seeing the effect they are having despite those wonderful motives.

These are not easy things to hear in any organization. Being open to what people are seeing and saying in this thread would be a good idea if one is truly committed to an open Mudcat. For some of the veterans here have now begun sounding like the people they themselves used to chafe against, when the previous group of oldtimers wanted to keep their good-old, "we've-always-done- it-this-way" days.

In a growing community, the veterans in leadership need the maturity to learn from their juniors, as well as assuming that of course the juniors are learning from them-- if they wish to retain the respect necessary to function as leaders. Saying one is picking up the marbles and going home does not come across like that kind of maturity, even if it is sometimes mere venting in order to ghet one's thinking cleared back up.

This issue typifies a lot of Mudcat issues. It would be nice to see the lure of PalTalk sparking a new level of understanding, because it would help move the other issues forward as well.

I would ask that you stop to consider the wisdom of Mary of Kentucky, who despite her own challenges offers herself as one leader in this issue, in the way she has defined leadership for herself. You know what I mean-- you know what the song circles mean to her. This kind of uproar over how to continue them... it's unseemly. Far better to put the focus on what each has gained from these opportunities, and look forward to new ways of managing the resource so it can be even more wonderful as time goes on.

This thread should not be about who is right. You all are! It is about realizing that if each one really is right, an integrated NEW solution needs to come to the fore that will serve ALL.

Keep in mind if you would, also, that some of us can't even DO PalTalk right now. To hear you all bickering over how to continue it-- you don't know how lucky you are. Try giving it up for a month or two, then and see how you feel about the importance of who is right, who is being misrepresented or misunderstood, who is making the decisions. And then organize a PalTalk Town Meeting about it IN PALTALK instead of using this inadequate text medium to talk about matters of the heart.

May reasoned minds prevail, and unsettled hearts calm.

~Susan