Theos-Talk Archives (November 1997 Message tl00281)

Eldon:
>Trying to understand how it works does not mean tinkering with it and
>possibly breaking it. There *are* guidelines or norms of behavior in
>operation. Because they haven't been articulated, they are implicit
>rather than explicit guidelines. They are established and maintained
>by the consistent behavior of the list participants. There's nothing
>wrong with attempting to articulate them, turning them from secret,
>underground, unconscious rules into something that can be understood
>and talked about.

<snip>

There is nothing wrong with figuring out the dynamics of a list.  However,
implicit guidelines allow more openness and change, according to the
dynamics of the list, than explicit guidelines.  For example, a list with
stodgy old-timers may be able to maintain its implicit rules for a while.
On the other hand, the list may suddenly become inundated with young bloods
and radical thinking, changing the rules for that list.  Explicit rules
allow little chance of that happening.  We all learn by changes. And
changes can be painful.

Any time that the security of one's rules is broken, one will feel
threatened and offended.  For example, Theosophy and mainstream religions
are losing members and not gaining young bloods because those institutions
did not change with the times.  The young bloods certainly do not want to
go where their life styles (which seemed perfectly normal and innocuous to
them) are criticized and confined.  As Chuck somewhat said a while back,
this is a time in which people often rebel against rules.  IMO, it's not
that people are anti-rules.  It's just that they are following their
individual rules.  We just have to learn to understand and respect them.  I
see tomato, you see to-mah-to.

Thoa :o)