[MR] Re: Secrecy (fwd)

[Craig Levin]

Mordrea:

> I think its a wonderful thing to surprise someone with recognition.
> I personally think something is lost when you know an award is coming.
> When a person is being recognized for something spiff they have done
> in whatever arena, it doesn't matter one bit if THEY were prepared
> for the event... it matters that they were recognized for the service
> they did, or their prowess, or for the art/science excellence and it
> matters that the people special to them made the recognition special
> somehow, (is, a knighting insured that regalia was there, or say a
> pearl, insured that a scroll was there along with a special medallion).

I think something's lost when I can't have the chance to dress up
for the occasion. I think something's lost when my wife can't be
there, because she's performing her duty as an apprentice. I
think something's lost when my friends, some of whom are
musically inclined, can't be there in a procession to honor me.

As somebody pointed out, a person's receiving an honor from the
crown or coronet is as much a tribute to them as it is to the
people near to them. Also, I argue, whe one is to be honored, and
knows it, one can prepare for the ceremony, and not be so
overwhelmed that one embarasses oneself or, as can happen, be so
stupefied by the moment that one does not know how to act.

I have a history of epileptic seizures. Sudden shocks can, on
occasion, really mess me up. I do not want to think of what it'd
be like if a monarch with a penchant for same-day peerage vigils
and inductions decided to make me a Laurel for (Ghu help me) my
research into Renaissance tournament pageants and poetry. I might
be interesting to watch, from a clinical/educational PoV, but
hardly for fun value, I'd hope.

One also notes that the classic "gotcha" story from the Bible,
when King Ahasuerus orders Haman^h^h^h^h^hto honor Mordecai, does
as much to tick off the former as it does to honor the latter. If
you look at other parts of the book of Esther, you'll find that
Ahasuerus isn't a model monarch-he's quick to anger, decadent,
and not the brightest bulb on the shelf.

I'm hardly saying that our kings are like him. They're not.

> Every single award I've received, with the exception of my peerage
> was a surprise, and I really wish, (even though I understand
> completely), that the peerage would also have been a surprise...
> sometimes the lengths that are gone through to keep accolades a
> surprise make it all the more special, in times when its not so easy,
> like, you're the court herald and Their Majesties STILL manage to keep
> the accolade a secret. That's just so very cool that the care was
> placed into the whole scenario to do that. Having friends and family
> share in the event is also very special, and, in a lot of my
> experiences, it was not so hard to insure that friends and family of
> an individual were forewarned to "Be in Court, you don't want to miss
> it" type of thing. (Unless of course its my daughter getting the
> award, then, its a "I'm sorry Your Majesties, she's helping in the
> kitchen")

Yet, we've seen other people, including me, for whom the
gathering of loved ones and friends didn't take place, because
nobody was informed. That's an indicator of a problem, IMO.

> I will admit, I am one of those people who likes to go to court to
> see the reactions of the different individuals as their works are
> recognized.

I can understand that, after a fashion, but not at the risk of
finding myself stupefied for the entertainment of onlookers.

Pedro