[pct-l] existentialism and spirituality

[at2002 at mac.com (Gary Wright)]

On Sep 28, 2005, at 10:26 AM, alec wrote:
> i must be in the minority here, but i find nothing offesive about  
> the existential dialogue that has taken place in this "community."
> nobody wants to "hijack" this board.  there are many practical  
> hiking questions and concerns to share.  but, i do hope that the  
> core issues of spirituality, particularly as they relate to hiking  
> and the pacific crest trail, will continue to be an accepted and  
> respected topic of discussion.

An admonishment to "stay on topic" should not be construed as a  
judgment of the worth or validity
of the "off-topic" conversation.  This list (well, most mailing  
lists) exists to accommodate
discussions of a very specific nature. Off-topic posts, no matter how  
interesting and thought-provoking
are simply misplaced.  It is no surprise that a group interested in a  
specific hiking trail might
also have other related interests in common (e.g., public land use,  
general environmental issues,
wilderness vs. civilization, and so on) but posting on those  
*general* issues should have some
direct connection with the *specific* list topic.

A good rule of thumb for participation on *any* list/forum is that if  
you need more than a moment to
decide if your posting is directly related to the declared topic area  
of the list then it probably
is not appropriate for the list.

Finally, I should say that it is important for the smooth running of  
any list that there be *some*
amount of tolerance for the unavoidable appearance of off-topic posts  
or discussions.