Overly blunt, I am

WARNING.  THIS is not careful, not padded, not polite.  Sigh.  This is blunt and might be annoying to many. 

So, time for some introspection. Why do YOU want to be a Peer of the SCA?

Here are some reasons, and some of my questions concerning each:

1. Because then I'll get to have a household (squires, apprentices, etc)

Okay. What's stopping you right now? Is there a reason you don't

teach what you know? Is there a reason you don't camp with your

friends?

2. Because then everyone will call me fancy titles and bow to me.

Do you mean RESPECT you? Because, let me tell you, respect does not

come automatically with a Peerage. Plus, once you have one,

everyone's expectation of you goes up...If you are looking for

unconditional love and devotion, perhaps you need to adopt a dog.

3. Because it is a public recognition of how cool/talented/bad-ass I am.

Yeah, but you cannot accept this from any other quarter of your life?

Winning competitions doesn't make you feel better? Doing cool stuff?

Hanging out with cool friends? Are you telling me that the ONLY THING IN THE WORLD 

that you consider to be a validation of yourself is 10 minutes in court and getting to wear a really SHINY medallion?

4. Because I get to boss people around.

Ah. Guess what? When they make you a Peer, you are the BABY Peer

now, bottom of the totem pole, etc. Also, see: getting a dog.

5. Because I love what I do, and being a Peer will make it easier/give me contacts in my field/allow me access to resources/let me continue to do what I love.

Awesome!  I love you!  Want to teach a class at our shire event next month? 

So, back up and consider this for Knights. Do MOST Knights consider their career to be done at their Knighting? Do they tell everyone that they have now reached the pinnacle of their skill? Do they no longer continue to practice?

Not what you've seen? Yeah, me either. 

In my experience, Knights then look to further their skills. They seek to do well, or to win Crown. Even those with illustrious careers and many titles continue to compete, continue to teach, to learn, to strive to improve.

Here, how about in graph form? So, to orient you to the graph: the bottom axis is skill at fighting, the further to the right a fighter

is, the better they fight. The vertical axis is number of people.

For me, this was a hard, but kinda awesome realization. 

As in "YAY! I'm a LAUREL, how cool is this? 

Wait a sec, who are those guys over THERE on the graph? Why am I over here? Hmmm, guess I better get going on that research stuff, and making stuff, and being at an entirely new level, huh?" 

Someday, I really do want to be a super-Laurel, yes, yes I do. And I'm pretty sure that I get THERE, the same way I got HERE, by loving what I do, by working my ass off to do it, and by sharing what I know with anyone who'll listen 

(and, in my field, some luck, a LOT of yarn, awesome friends, and a giant pile of research. Your mileage may vary)

So, now, tell me again about how the Peers have some mysterious, seekrit checklist that you must find out about, and fulfill. Because,let me tell you, it does not exist. 

What is the sekrit formula? It's very simple. Find something in this vast and complex hobby of ours that makes YOU HAPPY. That fires your imagination. That feeds your soul. Teach others about it. Make our society a better place, by fighting gloriously, by making it more medieval, or by helping it to run smoothly. Gather together or seek out other people who care about what makes you happy. Learn from them, teach them, collaborate with them. Cooperate, work and play well with others. People notice when you do this. They will respect you, and honor you, and value your word. Bring out the best in THEM, and in yourself. Realize what impacts you have, and work to make them positive ones. And then, when you have made yourself a PEER, a person of standing in our community, then it is quite likely that the council will take note, and invite you to sit among them.

There is no checklist. There is no perfect resume. No....REALLY.

There is only making yourself into an example in your field, and being HAPPY. When you are content, and know your own soaring path, others will see that and you will be recognized.

Being a Peer is not the end of the road/quest/journey. It is only the middle, there is just as much on the other side :)

And you know what? If you don't get a Peerage, but instead "only" get to do the things that make you intensely happy, and bring peace to your heart, respect and honor of those whose opinion you most value, and friends to your door...would that be the worst thing in the world? Isn't that sort of the DEFINITION of a hobby?