Thoughts for everybody to consider!

["Charles T. Turley" <cturley@wco.com>]

I discovered two exceptional articles for inclusion in GS WorldView and 
after reading them both carefully, I came to the conclusion that all of 
those who subscribe to this newsgroup might find some very noteworthy 
advise and valuable wisdom to consider in their contents. 

I've seen several recent posts in the Apple II newsgroups that leave me 
with the personal feelings that something very bad is happening within 
the Apple II community to cause it's stagnation and distrust within it 
by all and especially with respect to many of the individuals that now 
seem to dominate and control it's masses.  

Let me make it clear to everybody I don't consider myself to be a bidder 
for such a position of any sort of power or control over anybody or 
anything.  I have no desire for such and wouldn't take it on any level, 
if it were offered to me on a gold platter. I don't wan't any part of it 
any longer.  I've watched things fail, fall apart and seen to many good 
people turned against each other for to long now.  It's not only utterly 
depressing but it's down right sickening to have to deal with and be a 
part of it.  I don't enjoy any of it and it's no fun!

I believe that unity with diversity, individual freedom, tolerance, 
cooperation and understanding are the only things of quality that will 
keep the Apple II community alive, happy and productive. That's the only 
way to allow all the Apple II users, in any manner they use their 
computer to prosper, by sharing with each other and helping each other 
in a friendly and non-hostile manner. Flames and such just don't cut it.
They serve no value and produce no positive results.

There are a lot of things I've been accused of that I haven't done. And,
there are also a lot of things I have done that I haven't been accused 
of.  I have good and bad qualities that can be provoked into action, 
just like every one of you reading this post also have.

Several such people in authority and of power within the Apple II 
community have the feelings that it's a war between the forces of good 
and the forces of evil. We are only waging that war against ourselves. 
We all have both of those qualities and they can both be provoked into 
action against each other or for the good of each other.  

IMHO - the only way anything is going to prosper and grow to any useful 
value within this fragile and progressively abandoned Apple II computer 
community is with consideration, concern and a desire to help with a 
polite nature, as that help is requested!  We've all made some grand 
mistakes.  None of us are perfect and will never be.  I'd guess this 
post is full of such errors and imperfections.  And, I'm fairly sure 
I'll be reading about this post for a long time to come. But, I had to 
express myself on it all and hope for the best.

I'm eagar to try to be friendly and make peace with everybody that uses 
the Apple II computer, because I like the Apple II computers.  I'm 
willing to admit that I've made some severe mistakes in many areas, 
during my three years of activity in the Apple II community and on the 
Net.  If and when I can provide something to the community - that I 
think will be useful and cause no harm, then I'll try to do my best to 
provide it.

If I have nothing to offer of useful value, then I won't bother to try 
with such efforts any more.  As long as there are enough people that 
appreciate what I try to offer and express it, then I'll continue with 
those efforts.  I'll never be able to please everybody.  None of us can 
do that.  We are all to individual and set in our own ways, thoughts and 
openions.  But we can try - can't we? 

Deep as they may be in their concept, I hope some of you will take the 
time and trouble to read the two articles from the two URL's noted below 
and think carefully what their contents are attempting to relate.

http://wco.com/~3d5d1wsw/gsezine/GS.WorldView/*ARTICLES/T.S.html
http://wco.com/~3d5d1wsw/gsezine/GS.WorldView/*ARTICLES/Ahriman.html

I hope that if you do read them, something in the contents will prove to 
be of useful value to you and motivate you to help the other Apple II 
users that need your special talents and abilities that only you have to 
offer to them with your kindness, respect and consideration.

Cheers and best wishes to all!
Tom