Posted by JStone on June 03, 2001 at 23:30:02:
I've already posted about the content of this course and the benefits that I believe it provides to divers in this community. I just wanted to add, in light of a recent personal criticism, that John Walker conducted himself throughout the DIR course in a very professional manner in all respects. His preparation for our course was evident. His manner in instructing the course was both demanding and thorough yet also kind and courteous. His request for feedback to improve the course for future students was admirable and demonstrated humility. Communication in this digital forum is difficult. I've experienced many misunderstandings in a variety of contexts trying to communicate via the internet. Interpersonal perceptions develop unnaturally in this context. My hope is that in this fourum we can try our best to express our thoughts in a logical and rational manner. Emotion (not profanity and vulgarity) should be injected into logical expression in an appropriate manner. We should refrain from character judgement and assassination. Such conduct does nothing to contribute to this marketplace of ideas. Why am I defending John you ask? Because he is my most recent teacher and I appreciate his efforts. My defensive position goes beyond John though. I stand in defense of anyone subject to inappropriate personal attack here (e.g. our friends at apparent opposite poles of understanding . . . Seahunt and MHK.) My ultimate hope in this diving community is that we all have fudamentally safe and very fulfilling experiences throughout our diving careers. I can't wait to responsibly collect Rock Scallops while maintaining proper buoyancy and trim and minimizing the risks of diving catastrophe to then spend the evening trying out the recipes I just learned about here and share great food and conversation with friends.