"Sometimes
when I consider that tremendous
consequences
come
from little things. I am tempted to
think there are no
little things."
~~
Bruce Barton ~~
Chaos
Theory and Trimaris Tradition
The essence of Chaos Theory holds
that apparently random events actually follow a pattern that may not be
immediately apparent.
It attempts to explain the fact
that complex and unpredictable results can and will occur in systems that are
sensitive to their initial conditions. In other words a very small occurrence
can trigger a series of increasingly significant events and huge,
dynamic transformations; or small
variations in initial conditions can
produce unpredictable and sometimes drastic results
A common example
of this is known as the Butterfly Effect. It states that, in theory the flutter
of a butterfly's wings in China could, in fact, ultimately be the cause of a
Tornado in Texas, thousands of miles away.
Benjamin Franklin's metaphor in the preface to Poor Richard's Almanac was perhaps more appropriate to my analogy:
"A little neglect may breed mischief:
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of a horse, the rider was lost;
For want of a rider, the battle was lost;
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost!"
The "nail" that holds this Kingdom Trimaris together has a name:
Tradition.
Tradition is more
than Pageantry and symbolism and History.
It is a force for
socio-cultural bonding.
Tradition is the
matrix of a group's soul through which all actions are filtered and shaped.
Tradition links
our roots to today's activities.
By giving
perspective and definition to What we do, it engenders our actions with worth
and meaning.
What we do may
change. Why we do it rarely does.
The dictionary
says Tradition is a
coherent body of precedents and customs
influencing the present. It is pervasive and exerts a powerful influence on our Society life. This is as it
should be. This is not just my opinion. Custom (A common
tradition, habitual practice or usage so long established that it has the force
or validity of law), is in Corpora thirty-three
times: "kingdom law and custom." Not Law or Custom, not Law instead of Custom, but "law and custom."
Trimaris, and its Traditions, Customs, and Precedents were born on August 13, 1977 at a Town Meeting in Oldenfeld. The Butterfly flapped its wings as it were. On that day Trimaris was coherently defined in the minds of its populace and the Traditions that were to define us were engendered.
The key to the continuity is Precedents: custom arising from long practice that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances. And Precedence: that which precedes in order of time. They are one and the same.
My personal analogy is one of a spring on a hill that was simply seeping through the soil until a group of shepherds dug it out and reshaped it into a steadily increasing flow. As it made its ever-branching way down the hill it gave sustenance to the increasing groups of shepherds. What started as a trickle became dozens of streams and rivulets. Each shaped by the differing terrain and constituency of the different groups that settled on each branch. But, the flow still had its origin in and was shaped by the engendering spring propagated all those years ago: that August of 1977.
On that August day twenty-five years ago extremely careful consideration was given how the decisions made would influence Trimaris down through the years. Virtually every Trimarian participated in the discussions and in the decision making. Because we realized how pervasive those decisions would be in years to come, that we were establishing Custom and Tradition. We realized how important it was that all be involved in the deliberations. Honorius said, some sixteen hundred years ago: that which touches all should be approved by all. It was true then, it was true in 1977 and it is true now. We realized we were establishing Traditions, Customs, and Precedence.
We need to honour our roots, customs, and traditions, and moreover be guided by them. And realize that Precedence is, in effect, history. What happened, happened - and we cannot change that. We can ignore it, defy it, and flaunt it, nonetheless it is yet the truth.
By saying that the Principal Peer of a Peerage Order was not the first created of that Order is defying history. Precedence is at the root of all custom and Tradition. It is "that which came before." Our Society is a hierarchical one. Hierarchy is built on Precedence. Rank and Titles are built on Precedence. The keystone of this edifice that is our Society IS Precedence. It holds together, and holds up our entire Societal system. Precedence is supported by and under the aegis of Custom and Tradition.
When the Order of the Pelican was institutionalized in Corpora IV, 1974, it was stated:
"The First Created member of the
Order in a particular Kingdom
shall be the Kingdom
Principal of the Order ... "
Simple Precedence, then and now. Can we not return to this?
The Butterfly has flapped its wings but it is not too late to stop the perturbations. To do the right thing.
1. No Crown has jurisdiction over history. What came first, came first then, and is no less true now. Precedence is history. No Crown can alter history.
2. According to Corpora: The
Crown may establish the order of precedence within the peerage according to the
laws and customs of the kingdom. This has been done since the beginning: The
Order of Precedence published at the beginning of every Reign, including the
present Reign. It has not changed. It cannot change, it is history.
2. Kingdom Law states: 5.1.3 All official communication shall be in hardcopy. I have seen no such hardcopy changing the Precedence of the Principal Pelican.
West Kingdom Royalty Handbook:
http://www.westkingdom.org/RoyaltyHandbook/
Do your best to follow the customs and traditions
of the Kingdom. You're not here to play whatever game you want, you're here to
be the royalty of The West. This doesn't mean slaving yourself to the
letter of any law or ceremony. It means living by the spirit of those laws and
keeping to the heart of the ceremonies. Embellish all you want; enrich the
Kingdom, its laws and rituals with your ideas and personal flair but don't
fundamentally change them. Ask advice from and listen to those who have come
before you. We have the benefit of being able to converse and consult with
people who have been here from the first day. In our context, it's not
just a little like talking to Benjamin Franklin. If you're not sure about the
basis of a particular law or ceremony, you can probably find and talk to the
person(s) who created it...do so.
This twenty-second day of February, 2003
Baron Taliesynne Nychymwrh, Pel.
