I'm beginning to understand that age is tied to wisdom for many reasons, but one of them must involve learning from past mistakes. We try to get it right the first time, but don't always succeed, and how we respond to our mistakes must be a measure of wisdom. I want very much to become wise.

One of the lessons I've learned during several years of being at the center of a controversey at my Internet forum is to wait. When something ****** me off, wait a day before doing anything. I didn't do that today (yesterday).

I read the words: bring your steel toe boots, hankies, shoulders, and dancin shoes.. bound to be a party!and I got mad. No problem with that, but I didn't wait.

If I had waited, I probably wouldn't have made that last reply. It wasn't necessary or useful. What went on here was a squabble and DocJohn handled it well. Even if it turns out that I was right in my second post, it really is none of my business. It was ok to take a stand with the Administration because I felt that DocJohn and others were feeling hurt that their attempts to keep this a safe place were not appreciated.

It was not ok to demand unconditional surrender from the insurgents; things will work out as they will and I don't have a horse in this race. I was sorry I published that reply as soon as I read the posts that followed. I shoulda sat down and shut up.

So how do I deal with my mistake? Deleting the entire post would have pretty much hidden it, but that would have left the subsequent replies hanging in the air. I've had that happen to me and I didn't like it at all.

Quietly withdrawing was an option, but that would have left some people angry and upset and I don't like that sort of legacy.

So my only real option is to apologise and let the people who have a stake in all this work it out without my help. I should have waited a day; I'm sorry I didn't. I hope I have learned something from this...Vic

and breathe .....
 

are we all finished here and can we just get back to using the forum for the purpose for which it is intended, (in my case that means more posts about Spheramine, and the Rugby World Cup, I'm nothing if not predictable).

DocJohn, you could have sold popcorn for this one :)

Neil.

I want to thank you all for your contributions, feedback, and most of all, your compassion and understanding in this thread. I don't want to belabor the points made here, I think we all learned something (I know I did), and I feel better about both sides better understanding one another's point(s) of view.

Take care,
DocJohn