X-Message-Number: 23648
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
Subject: doers and talkers
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 12:34:47 -0000

Please take this as a general comment to these lists, I am not going into
individual details.

The cryonics community is made up of "doers" and "talkers". As far as the
biological science is concerned, I am a "talker", although I try to do
things (like help new cryonics members in the UK) that relieve "doers" of
work and hence enable them to have more time to "do biological science".

However I have noticed recently that there are a growing number of "talkers"
who do the opposite. They spend lots of time researching and finding fault
with some things "doers" have said. This is usually not with the science,
possibly because they don't know enough to criticise it, or maybe the work
is totally correct and beyond criticism (unlikely - look hard enough at
anything and there is usually some tiny fault). Instead it is more often
about some chance remark that is a non-sequitur or triggers a reaction in
the commentator.

When this happens, the "doer" has to spend quite a lot of time replying to
the comments made against him or her.

This is done at the expense of time that would otherwise be spent furthering
the scientific aims of this entire movement, ie extending healthy human life
as much as possible. I don't say never criticise, but perhaps if you see
something wrong say so privately and **briefly**, and if it is really
important the "doer" may do something about it. But don't engage in a long
series of detailed emails where you have the days to spend researching them
and he would have to take days off important work to answer you.

So yes, the "talker's" criticism may be factually or semantically correct.
But the act of making someone else spend time defending their reputation
over some relatively trivial issue when they would be better employed
working towards a longer life for all is counter-productive to the movement
as a whole.

-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

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