B
Bob Wellenstein
Guest
I wish "slippertalk" the best of luck in becoming the kind of forum that can be a very useful tool for all of us to learn about our favorite plants. It is off to a good start in that it appears the founder(s) do not appear to be egotistical paranoid control freaks, but rather reasonable people interested in fostering honest dialogue. All of us base what we learn on those that passed down this path before us, and those that respect their mentors have my respect. The quickest way to spot the phony "sock puppet" experts that unfortunately pop up is their attempts to gain fame by attacking the very people they should be crediting and thanking, so here's a big thank you to our growing and breeding mentors. The best compliment we can pay them is by carefully building on what we have learned from them with our own observations and sharing what we have observed. This is what brings me back to occasional forum participation, although my main vehicle for this is our webpage, which I vow to find the time in a very busy schedule to get back to work on.
I also urge people to separate their egos and self from their plants when participating. This not to say that you should not be proud of what you have done, but rather realize that the pleasure of growing and learning and possessing wonderful plants is best shared, not lauded over others. Some of the finest growers, with some of the finest plants that I know of, are often totally unknown to the larger Paph growing community. We only got to know about them as customers. Again, my respect goes out to those who grow the plants for the love of the plants, and not to try to gain fame or infamy as the case may be. My respect is at least as great for the person who carefully tends his Paph. fowliei as for the person who, because of greater access to funds, has dozens of Paph. sanderianums.
I also urge people to remember that growing these plants is really a privilege, not and inalienable right, and they should keep that in mind when faced with many of the questionable situations that seem to pop up in the slipper world. Good luck with the forum!
I also urge people to separate their egos and self from their plants when participating. This not to say that you should not be proud of what you have done, but rather realize that the pleasure of growing and learning and possessing wonderful plants is best shared, not lauded over others. Some of the finest growers, with some of the finest plants that I know of, are often totally unknown to the larger Paph growing community. We only got to know about them as customers. Again, my respect goes out to those who grow the plants for the love of the plants, and not to try to gain fame or infamy as the case may be. My respect is at least as great for the person who carefully tends his Paph. fowliei as for the person who, because of greater access to funds, has dozens of Paph. sanderianums.
I also urge people to remember that growing these plants is really a privilege, not and inalienable right, and they should keep that in mind when faced with many of the questionable situations that seem to pop up in the slipper world. Good luck with the forum!