I am mostly isolated in my paddling, and because of where I live, as a fairly new kayaker it’s sad that I am by far the most experienced one around here. I cannot paddle with anyone around here that has lots more experience and when I started I found exactly zero others in about 9 months who ever owned a kayak. I was the very first one I could find in my area with the interest. . So learning for me is always a process of listening to others or watching vids, and trying what they show and speak about.
Like in all subjects in life, there are a very few people who are 100% correct, a very few that could not be more wrong, and a whole lot who have some knowledge and some truth but not all of it. (I am in that 3rd class)
But a motto I like to live by is “learn by the mistakes of others when you can, so you don’t have to make them all yourself” Side note: An old Army EOD (Enemy Ordinance Disposal) who lived 25 years doing that job told me that. He, above all others was proof such a policy is a good one to live by. And he did live.
So I consider what I am told and I often try those things, but I find varying degrees of value and merit in them.
All that said; I can say I have learned a lot from Jyak and also from Craig and from about 6 other members here. Not “learning” in that I can simply repeat what I was told, but because I tried what I was told and found it did indeed work very well. It’s funny that of those I have picked up valuable tips from, at lest 1 is a member who I’d bet I would not get along with fact to face, but the INFORMATION given about paddling was totally correct.
So we don’t need to even like people that can give us knowledge if we ourselves have wisdom… In fact, I think part of wisdom is being able to separate personality from information.
Those that lower themselves to attempts to give offence because they are not obeyed or worshiped as authorities simply show they have no wisdom. They can have a lot of knowledge and if we all take that knowledge and use it to help ourselves and others such gleaning of that knowledge is quite beneficial. The lack of wisdom shown by those trying to degrade and insult only demonstrated the lack of wisdom even when they do have some knowledge. So I’d advise all readers to learn the difference between good knowledge and very detrimental lack of wisdom.
In that way you can easily eat the meat and spit out the bones. But never expect wisdom from a fool even when that fool has some useful knowledge. Just take the knowledge and walk away.
Jyak, I am not sure it is helpful to delete all the other posts, but I understand an underlying reason for doing it, and as they are your own posts, I’d not tell you not to. But know this; I for one am very glad to have had your help and advice. Not everything you told me worked as well for me as it did for you in the last 4 years, but ALL of it did help me to some extent. NOTHING you ever told me, in print of on the phone, was ever totally wrong and a lot was totally right. I did learn a lot, and for that I think you. In your attempt to smooth things over I see a wisdom that few others show because it takes a wise man to admit wrong doing, more in wanting to not offend then in subject matter. That’s part of integrity and integrity is something I do not expect to ever see from a few others on this forum and also on a few others I have visited at other times and from other places. “I was wrong in the information I said” [factually incorrect] is one thing. “I was wrong because of how I said it” [ethically wrong] is far more, and takes real integrity to admit and try to correct. I commend you!!! Kids, pay attention! That’s what integrity looks like.
I also thank others here too, including those that seem to want to play the 3rd grade hate filled brat, not because they showed any wisdom but because even in their stooping to 3rd grade brat levels — they still helped me with some details in my quest to learn to use a kayak and a paddle in better ways. Their evil cores would be upset if they knew that despite their hate they still helped me.
That little fact is humorous in and of itself.
