The impotance of what we know!

[nod]

Brought over from the thread 19mm Portland braid as it's thought provoking.

 

 

Hey Nick

 

I have been reluctant to reply because the thread appears to become an argument, which serves no purpose for anyone, particularly those trying to make head & tail of the subject.

 

For all of the information that is out there, which you have cited a few examples, there is still a lack of cohesive clarity that bonds recommendations together. The 2008 HSE/Forestry Commission’s. “Evaluation of current rigging and dismantling practices used in Arboriculture” is the single document that has looked into the plethera of work that exists & still cannot come up with a definitive answer. Only that more research is required.

 

I think that if we believe that the word is 'cast in stone' it stops people from looking into the subject matter to the degree that is possible. We know that in misunderstood hands rigging can easily produce fatal errors in judgement. The more in depth we understand the subject the more likelhood there is that good decisions can be made.

 

I looked at the Yale website & they suggest 5:1 safety factors in rigging scenarios!!! Until we can firmly underline the subject who should/can we actually believe when there exist such vast differences in opinion? If, of course, we are turning to others for this knowledge!

 

For my part, the book is open & the pages are blank awaiting definitive answers. For my years of climbing there have been so many times when definitive answers have been proven otherwise that I now understand that there is always flux, the pages are not written with indelible ink any more. But this is how we learn, not by casting in stone!

 

We like to think that we know stuff, it makes us feel good, it makes us seem important. But that which is greater is to not know!

 

Regards

Nod

[slack ma girdle]

Wize words Nod.

It is not until you have had a near miss, understood what has happened, and importantly learned from it that you can speak with authority. Even then you will not fullly understand all the processes involved.

Somebody famous said 'the day i stop learning is the day i die'

[Pete Mctree]

Great post Nod.

 

I guess we often rely more on what we have read, than what we have been told & more on what we have been told, than what we have figured out for ourselves. What I'm try say is we should perhaps examine the source assess of our information & assess that prior to depending on it. Questioning is natural, why fight it?

[Mark Bolam]

Thought provoking stuff Nod.

 

You should never stop thinking and questioning, and remembering that quoted figures are for brand new gear in perfect nick.

 

Possibly not reliable for 19mm PB with multiple Silky nicks that has been marinated in bar oil....