I suppose the reason a lot of newbs get crap from the older members has to do with asking the same questions over and over, rather than re-reading some of the older threads where the question has already been asked and answered. I think as you spend more time on the boards this will become more obvious. And it's not like you don't want to help the new person - it's more like "not again, do I have to explain this for the umpteenth time!!!"
The cigar shop I go to is an eclectic mix of older and younger cigar smokers - wealthy and poor - of just about every conceivable race. We even have a couple in the store that take offense to woman sitting in with us, because they don't think it's proper. But through it all, all of us meet and chat - smoke cigars and swap stories (even the woman join us from time to time). We ultimately enjoy each others company and our shared passion for the leaf.
As for me - I don't consider myself old, but I'm definitely not young either. I have been in my profession for over 25 years, which gives me a bit of an edge with the younger pups. I do not being told I'm a "dinosaur" because I don't subscribe to their youthful ignorance. Many times they come in with the brand new, fantastic idea - which I know has been tried and failed... And they won't be convinced it can't work...
I don't mean to insult you, but this statement does bother me...
This is the attitude I get from a lot of the younger guys I work with. They think because they have been taught the latest and greatest, they now have the world by the tail, and they are going to run laps around their senior peers... Funny, the second quote in your post is exactly what you should be understanding...Originally Posted by pierce652
My reading of that quote is this. Any kind of schooling, I don't care what it is (law school, medical school, car repair school, whatever) gives you the tools you need to perform the job that's ahead of you. But in order for you to skillfully use those tools, it requires practice. You cannot get experience by going to school - it is only acquired with time. In law school, you learned how to take the land away from the indians. To become a lawyer, you must take the knowledge you gained and apply it - over and over again - until it becomes second nature. I studied Differential Equations - give me a test in it now, even though I was successful in the class not that long ago, and I would fail it miserably. I've not applied or used it since I learned it...
I am an instructor for a large university, teaching the skills I've learned and practiced in Accident Reconstruction to others. I get a certain amount of satisfaction from seeing the bright, smiling faces on the first day of class, believing they are the best of the best - have already investigated accidents and can't understand why I would need several weeks to teach them any more about it... And I know that I'm about to totally brutalize them over the next several of weeks I'm with them with the math and science I'm about to teach. About 1/4 of them will not pass the class (it is VERY rare that we pass the entire class). But what's even more amusing to me is the math and science they will learn will be the easy part - the art of applying it is what the students will find the most challenging, which comes AFTER they leave the classroom.
So what does that have to do with cigars... Well - I've been on a path and learned what I've learned - some from personal experiences, some from reading about it, some from knowledge passed on from others. But the one thing that I keep in mind - no matter where I'm at - I never lose the idea that there isn't something more that I CAN learn.
To those of you who take offense with the FOG (Fucking Old Guys) taking pot shots at you - look at it as the gentle prodding you may need to get your ass in gear and study up. I can't possibly answer every question you may have (like "what cigars should I buy") Many times it's not what I'm going to tell you that matter most - it's what you LEARN from your experiences...
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