Cob: discussion participation

[Lyric]

Hmmm, you know, I have erased my reply to this four times now. It was all
trite reasons why I am quiet on this list so often and excuses are
unbecoming so I suppose the real answer is that I have been a lurker mainly
because I simply have not taken the time to do otherwise.

My fault, no excuses. I could list 'reasons' aplenty but in truth they are a
load of crap. ;)  I haven't taken the time to respond as much as I should.
Could have, didn't, should, will try to do so more often.

As to the members of this list being the innexperienced... while I think
that may be somewhat true, as cob is perhaps the least participated in
natural building method, I also think that there is perhaps a bit too much
flaming and too little acceptance for differences that go on here. People
here SEEM TO ME to be a little more sensitive than they are in other places.
Each reply is viewed as a personal attack or affront, not simply a reply
from an individual who may see things differently than you do.

Perhaps it is because so many cobbers are personally attached to the
methods, it being a good portion art and/or spirituality and not simply a
mathematical building equation that can be quantified. Most cobbers tend to
'feel it' more than calculate it. It is easier to put your calculations up
for review than it is to put your heart out there. (I am not saying I am any
kind of exception to this, I could likely lead the gang. ;)  )

However at the same time there are those who the discussion on discussing IS
more emotional and so it fires them into responding. Rather akin to the
fight or flight response I suppose. Some will not want their inner workings
exposed like that and others will feel a poke from their inner workings and
be prodded into a vehement response.

Just my .02.

Chey


"Where is the justice of political power if it executes the murderer and
jails the plunderer, and then itself marches upon neighboring lands, killing
thousands and pillaging the very hills?"
-Kahlil Gibran, "The Voice of the Poet"

----- Original Message -----
From: "Charmaine" <tms at northcoast.com>
To: "Patricia L. MacKenzie" <ruanmackenzie at hotmail.com>
Cc: <coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: Cob: discussion participation: was slip formed walls


> You know it's funny that  my simple comment about discussing cob is
> getting more discussion  then actual making of cob.  this leads me to
> wonder i f possibly there are more people new to cob who want to learn
> rather than ( like the straw bale group) people who are outright
> building?  There is nothing wrong with either, but I noticed a vast
> difference in this list in others like Organic Architecture, and
> Papercrete lists where people argue hotly and share idea and mistakes
> more often.
>
> I am betting since cob is more labor intensive, and less "code" approved
> that many people  haven't started a big project?  Maybe we can take a
> show of hands of who is building and who is learning?
> Me, I just experiment furiously since I do hear from a lot of people who
> are just getting started, and ask questions about mixing materials or
> using alt materials, etc.I built a  big cob garden bench 4 years ago,
> and that was a learning experience from start to finish!
>
> Patricia I wasn't aiming any comments to you directly....people are
> always free to lurk as far as I know..the problem with some lists of the
> too much shooting off of mouth with foot firmly implanted too.
>
> If this is more of a Learner/Reader group then it makes sense  not to
> see a lot of dialog online...
>
> I just got an order from a woman in NM who built  a cob house  10 years
> ago and NEVER knew it was called that, or that there were others doing
> this too...she had only one reference- Nader Khalili's book , so she
> called her method "piled clay", since she piled it up...so there is a
> wide world of interested people out there.
>
> Charmaine  >> who is sorta glad she brought this up
>
> Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
> http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com    http://www.papercrete.com
> PO Box 375, Cutten (Eureka) CA 95534
> 707-441-1632     tms at northcoast.com
>
>