Drexel
(who, fortunate human, Kristi, is part of pack with)
” Hmmm, your posts this week and last have seemed easier for me to understand, and now you are calling them rogerian. I love Thanksgiving, too. I might be one of those annoying rogers.”
damn!
it meant a lot to me (then) and I’m glad to have come to know Kristi better. A co-hostinae of the TToT, the focus on home and family and tradition comes through in her blog, ‘Thankful Me’.
Funny story: as the ‘conversation’ developed over successive weekends, (somehow) the topic of Wakefield Doctrine docTees came up and, to my self, I was all… ‘hey clark, this here is a serious person here, she’s not going to find the idea of a tee shirt with ‘Wakefield Doctrine’ printed all over it to be very amusing! However, as it’s happened since I started this blog, I found myself thinking, ‘but…but! this is the Doctrine! of course she’ll think it would be fun to have one!’
…Kristi?
I’m both honored and perplexed to be guest-posting here at the Wakefield Doctrine. The invitation to write a guest post went something like this:
“if you find you might have the time (in say 3 weeks) If the feature still is around, I would love to have you do a guest Post (for Guest Post Thursday), don’t answer yet! I’ll ask again as we get closer in to roger day.”
Followed by this:
“(with the Doctrine as a tool), I am better able to understand how difficult/challenging/tempting a request for a guest post might be… at the risk of repeating myself (and still not be construed as asking a direct question*….yet, I will say that the only standard/requirement for a guest post is that the writer write what they enjoy/want to/are happy to write. I (re)state this because I found that with rogers, this ‘no requirements/standards/guidelines’ is not as welcomed as it is with clarks… but then, given what we understand about the rogerian worldview, it only makes sense, yes?”
And finally, this:
“I guess I am finding that my ‘non-directional’ is a way of saying, ‘ok it’s a guest post, topic of your choice, whatever you think would be: fun or serious, frivolous or amusing…. a lot of the things that we tend to ‘not’ write in our own blogs ’cause it’s too out of character…. something like that!”
Why have I struggled so much to write this post? According to the Wakefield Doctrine, it is because I am a roger, a person who makes sense of the world through rules and order. Without the structure of expectations, I am a bit lost. I think my secondary, yet significant, clark-like tendencies also play a role; I’m unsure if I am welcome in a place where rogers actually seem to be in the minority. (Please don’t misconstrue my meaning, it is not a judgment of the friendliness of clarks and scotts—I’ve never been ostracized by anyone here–I’m only unsure if my abilities in writing could lead to real understanding, or merely portray me as a caricature of rogers.)
So, here I sit, composing my thoughts, knowing what most influences my worldview, yet hesitating to share. I’ll have to muster up scott-like courage and just write.
I can relate to Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof:
“Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka we have traditions for everything… how to eat, how to sleep, even, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl… This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition start? I’ll tell you – I don’t know. But it’s a tradition… Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”
I’m not Jewish, but my religion impacts every aspect of my life, too. Religion is, of course, not solely the venue of rogers (and it would be interesting to hear from scotts and clarks on the role of religion in their lives), but for me, it is the most significant influence on my worldview. It also defines my “herd”—probably more broadly than you might imagine.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon. I believe that we (all people, Mormon or not) are literally spirit children of our Heavenly Father, making all of us literally brothers and sisters. (Clark, scott, roger—it doesn’t matter—we are all part of the “herd.”) Each of us came to earth to gain a body and to exercise agency. Knowing that we would all fall short, Jesus Christ came to provide an atonement for us all. He made it possible for us to return again to the presence of Heavenly Father, after this life.
That is a very short summary of the Plan of Happiness. Knowing that there is a plan helps me make sense of the world. Knowing that Christ’s atonement paid not just for the sins of the world, but also provided a way to right all that is unfair, gives me hope. While I want to stand up for everything good, I also know I don’t need to despair about events in the world outside my own control. I can have faith that all will be right in the end.
I could write pages about the peace I receive from my beliefs, but as this blog is a Wakefield Doctrine blog, and not Mormon.org, I will refrain. I do believe the world is essentially good. I am not living with my head in the sand; I am aware there is evil in the world, but I also know there is much good in the world, and that good will ultimately prevail.
I recognize that not everyone shares my beliefs and worldview. As a roger, it seems that those differences should bother me. One of the Articles of Faith, though, states: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”
Perhaps the Wakefield Doctrine has some subsection that says if there is a rule to prevent a roger from behaving in the way the roger might normally be so inclined, the rule takes precedence. However you want to interpret it, I welcome open and sincere communication, but realize the harm that comes from argumentative dialogue.
As I always end my blog posts with thanks, thanks to Clark for the opportunity to share a bit of what makes me tick. I hope I interpreted your Wakefield Doctrine correctly. (Because, of course, as a roger, I have a deep need to follow the rules!)
* Michelle, we know, is the first of the rogers to come to the Doctrine and actually stay…helping to create among other things, the Friday Night vidchat…. we will be hearing from her in the future, of course
About clarkscottroger
awesome! frist!!!!! be back! jeh
Frist, indeed!
“Perhaps the Wakefield Doctrine has some subsection that says if there is a rule to prevent a roger from behaving in the way the roger might normally be so inclined, the rule takes precedence.” Im not certain exactly how it goes but Clark can say it better that the rule must be that everyone does everything at some time.. or something like that ( if my Roger was showing I would go look that up for accuracy!)
Kristi, this was a great post! I think of Spirituality every day and wish for the soul of a Roger as I seem to miss it frequently with my Clark-like heart standing in the way… and Tevye is one of my all time favorites because of that specific quote that you chose! He shows such devotion despite not having all the answers.
(good point zoe about the ‘everyone does everything, at one time or another’… another way to account for Kristi’s point is the influence of secondary (and tertiary) aspects…which have not received as much discussions as they merit, but seeing how… well-beyond-the-basics everyone is, it is high time to revive that topic)
The influence of secondary and tertiary aspects is reason for the former statement ( everyone does everything…) , yes?
Just looking at your icon I finally figured out the three types via postures… Cripe where have I been?
Damnit you made me look, and I missed it too!
Thanks, Zoe. I decided to use the Tevye quote after realizing that “If I Were a Rich Man” could be changed to “Yes, I Am a Roger.” (Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum)
(lol)
Dear Kristi,
This post is perfectly beautiful, uplifting, and timely for me. As I read it, I got tears in my eyes. You are an amazing person and I think that you are wonderful!
love, jean xox
thank you for sharing with us, here, your post for the Wakefield Doctrine and contributing so much perspective for all of us…whether we are clarks, scotts, or ROGERS!!! :)
Wow. . . thanks, Jean. I struggled in writing this post, so your comment really means a lot to me.
WELL your post meant a lot to me!!! <3 hugs!!! xox jean Kristi, you are amazing, :)
Oh gosh I can’t look at a herd without wanting to disrupt it!
That said, Kristi, you wrote a really nice piece and thank you for letting us in on your thought process :)
Thanks, Lizzi. I guess I see one big herd, but not in the mindless sheep sort of way, more in a big family sort of way, where individuals are quirky but lovable nevertheless.
Kristi
Thank you for the Guest posting… you have continued the newly established tradition* of causing me to smile and think, ‘nice lick!’ (in reference to expressing aspects of the Doctrine, of course.) Today, what made me sit up was,
“…because I am a roger, a person who makes sense of the world through rules and order. Without the structure of expectations, I am a bit lost…
specifically, the concept that expectations can be structure! (damn!) This inference had not ever occurred to me…. but that is to be expected and is, in turn, why I value you and the others who have contributed your time and insight in appearing here on Thursday.
But then, that is what the Doctrine would have…three worldviews, distinct realities, made available (or, at very least, an insight offered) to each other.
Thank you very much.
*is that an oxymoron? ‘newly established tradition’ lol
“Newly established tradition” is certainly not an oxymoron, at least not for rogers. :-)
May I be included in the growing “herd” of those who thoroughly enjoyed your post:) I absolutely love how you ended it Kristi! Perfect.
Did Drexel stay by your side while you wrote?:) Good dog:D
Thank you. Of course you are part of the herd–you didn’t even have to like the post (but I’m glad you did!)
Drexel is usually found on top of my feet, so, yes, he was definitely a part of the writing process. :-)
Yay, Kristi! Good for you for speaking out on behalf of the Rogers. I’m glad your religion is such a strong and comforting guide. I do not have that loyalty to one religion, though I do consult various religions and such in forming a worldview, or a sense of how I should behave.
Clark says I’m a roger, but I don’t know. I usually want to distance myself from the herd rather than join it. But I did spend a period of time in my life (before I was as sure of myself as I am now–not that I’ve finished that journey, just made some progress) working extremely hard to be part of the herd and failing miserably.
Now Clark can interpret this for me. I know I must have some Roger, and while I thought I had just a smidge Scott, I was willing to admit to quite a bit more after reading Christine’s post. And then there’s some Clark for sure.
That’s interesting that you say you want to distance yourself from the herd. I don’t usually enjoy crowds, and I don’t view myself as easily swayed by the group, but I definitely view the world as an ordered, organized place, and view it as an overall happy place.