Well said.Very glad to see that at least the MR membership is considering this. I like to see member driven initiatives, rather than those being pushed from the top.
I too remember the good old days, when the coral love was all shared. But time and things change. I still have a rather large core group that I share corals with and who are very happy to share them with me.
I do understand the escalating costs of the hobby, and the need to try to offset some of the cost with coral sales, but at the same time its important to keep the spirit of swaps and sharing going. Striking a good balance is necessary.
its the masses that dictate the culture the pervades a society by thier actions. If you want a coral flea market that is what you will get. If you want a DBTC type system then start changing the culture. Make an effort to not sell that rare coral that everyone wants - share it first. In the end the good will prevail (inspite of a few failures). You don't judge a society or culture by the few that fail to abide by the cultural norm, but by the majority that follow it.
I am just glad to see that the right kind of talks have started here.
sanjay.
Unfortunately it's not possible (nor desirable, IMO) to "keep people honest". The hope is that by the time a reefer has become a club member and been introduced to the spirit of community and sharing that a hobbyist club offers, they'll see the benefit of behaving in a community oriented way. If not for the sake of the community, then at least for the sake of the animals. The BAR program simply assumes that the vast majority of participants will behave correctly and proceeds from there. It's a true "Pay it Forward" program both in terms of the actual coral being exchanged and the spirit of generosity and goodwill that goes with it.
Very glad to see that at least the MR membership is considering this. I like to see member driven initiatives, rather than those being pushed from the top.
I too remember the good old days, when the coral love was all shared. But time and things change. I still have a rather large core group that I share corals with and who are very happy to share them with me.
I do understand the escalating costs of the hobby, and the need to try to offset some of the cost with coral sales, but at the same time its important to keep the spirit of swaps and sharing going. Striking a good balance is necessary.
its the masses that dictate the culture the pervades a society by thier actions. If you want a coral flea market that is what you will get. If you want a DBTC type system then start changing the culture. Make an effort to not sell that rare coral that everyone wants - share it first. In the end the good will prevail (inspite of a few failures). You don't judge a society or culture by the few that fail to abide by the cultural norm, but by the majority that follow it.
I am just glad to see that the right kind of talks have started here.
sanjay.
Imagine if we could combine or intermingle with BAR and have an even bigger program.I'm thinking to big here aren't I? I'm just really excited about this as well!!!
Jay
Yep, what Jim said.
If you can start with a small group of people that believe in the vision of the program, you can grow it from there.