Damon Atchison said in 040702 MMDigest:


>> When I attended AMICA meets in high school I ran across people who
>> had more experience, but less desire to share knowledge.  I found
>> people with more money, though seemingly less appreciation for their
>> collections.  Finding somebody to connect with was difficult, and few
>> people were interested in talking to me.  Lastly, I ran into a couple
>> people who were vicious lunatics.


I inhabit groups/clubs concerned with player pianos and organs,
"preserved" steam railways and dowsing, and the lunatic count is
highest in the player world, but only by a narrow margin.  Musical
instruments as a hobby can be pursued while locked up in a tower,
but to do railways you've got to cooperate with others.

Especially, it's instrument restorers who climb into their own high
nests.  I'm not sure I've ever heard one restorer say of another,
"I really admire his/her work, it's just how it should be done and
reasonably priced too".  Most seem to characterise the others --
especially when both are really good, from my perspective as a user
-- as dangerous fools.

In railway carriage restoration (which is now taking on the character
of a high art with examples looking much better than they can have new,
and lasting better in service) there seems to be generosity and
admiration all round, with not a little rivalry and theft of ideas.

You could describe all dowsers as lunatics by definition, so there
is no useful comparison there.  As in religion, you get anything from
intense adherence to fixed theories to a complete refusal to take any
theory seriously (my situation).

I've always regarded these peculiarities as part of the comedy of life.
There is no perfect group.  My criterion is, "Is the coffee at the meets
worth having?"  (Boston Dowsers in Massachusetts wins here.)

Dan Wilson, London