ivan73
Registered
I have a sad story to tell and I want to share it with u in order to maybe understand what happened to me. I just want to say that although my disappointment is very big, huge will be more appropriate word, I do not blame anybody and far for me that I want to change anyones believes or philosophy. And I want to emphasize that I would still appreciate experience and suggestions from people who might have different ideas from mine (this goes especially for TSandM whose threads and remarks are mostly appreciated).
So let me tell you my story. I'm 33 years old, started to dive in Singapore area a year ago, get completely hooked into it, dived as much as possible (96 logged dives), finished PADI rescue - doing DM course. Feeling incredibly good underwater (as if everything stops exiting underwater and I just feeling in complete harmony with everything that's around me). Well at some point I thought that in order to progress further in feeling more peaceful underwater, GUE-F would help me. So I contacted local diving shop providing this service (only one here in Singapore) and although the price was high (1000 Us$) I thought (and still think) that knowledge is more worth than $$, I accepted to go for 4 days course. As I believe in honest relation in anything I do, I told the instructor that I'm a smoker (3-5 cigarettes per day). And the answer was ... no you can't go for this course.
Well I do not know if you can imagine my disappointment. My first reaction was I hate DIR philosophy, second one, try to quite smoking just the time to do this course and now a day after the bad news I'm trying to understand DIR philosophy and still can figure it out. I mean what I can't understand is why a guy that has no idea about me, my understanding of diving, my physical capabilities (I'm not saying that I'm super fit or a navy seal, but Im trying to stay in shape) won't teach me new skills, new approach of diving because of, for me insignificant, choice of living. This philosophy tells me, I don't agree with your choice of living so you might die underwater (because I haven't showed you a trick), I don't care, it's your problem. What a nice approach and what a nice open minded philosophy. Well my education (PhD in physics) taught me that nothing is eternal when there's not at least a bit of adaptation. It also taught me that it's pointless to try to change people's (strong) believes (this is far from my intentions). At the end of the day, I won't quit diving (smoking neither) and I will try to read books, try to learn by myself (probably very difficult), listen for advices from more experienced divers and try to forget GUE-F course and my disappointment.
I just want to be understood correctly, I don't blame anybody for choosing this approach; what I don't understand is what is more important: to form a passionate diver to your way of diving, and maybe help him in a bad situation or to stay hooked to idea that you don't believe in my philosophy (which is probably not even true) so you do not deserve my knowledge.
Thanks for your understanding about my disappointment.
Ivan
So let me tell you my story. I'm 33 years old, started to dive in Singapore area a year ago, get completely hooked into it, dived as much as possible (96 logged dives), finished PADI rescue - doing DM course. Feeling incredibly good underwater (as if everything stops exiting underwater and I just feeling in complete harmony with everything that's around me). Well at some point I thought that in order to progress further in feeling more peaceful underwater, GUE-F would help me. So I contacted local diving shop providing this service (only one here in Singapore) and although the price was high (1000 Us$) I thought (and still think) that knowledge is more worth than $$, I accepted to go for 4 days course. As I believe in honest relation in anything I do, I told the instructor that I'm a smoker (3-5 cigarettes per day). And the answer was ... no you can't go for this course.
Well I do not know if you can imagine my disappointment. My first reaction was I hate DIR philosophy, second one, try to quite smoking just the time to do this course and now a day after the bad news I'm trying to understand DIR philosophy and still can figure it out. I mean what I can't understand is why a guy that has no idea about me, my understanding of diving, my physical capabilities (I'm not saying that I'm super fit or a navy seal, but Im trying to stay in shape) won't teach me new skills, new approach of diving because of, for me insignificant, choice of living. This philosophy tells me, I don't agree with your choice of living so you might die underwater (because I haven't showed you a trick), I don't care, it's your problem. What a nice approach and what a nice open minded philosophy. Well my education (PhD in physics) taught me that nothing is eternal when there's not at least a bit of adaptation. It also taught me that it's pointless to try to change people's (strong) believes (this is far from my intentions). At the end of the day, I won't quit diving (smoking neither) and I will try to read books, try to learn by myself (probably very difficult), listen for advices from more experienced divers and try to forget GUE-F course and my disappointment.
I just want to be understood correctly, I don't blame anybody for choosing this approach; what I don't understand is what is more important: to form a passionate diver to your way of diving, and maybe help him in a bad situation or to stay hooked to idea that you don't believe in my philosophy (which is probably not even true) so you do not deserve my knowledge.
Thanks for your understanding about my disappointment.
Ivan