Re: Paleo21 - Avocational paleontologists

[Calymene@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Mike, not everyone, but the ones that do, they will find it difficult
without expending time, enlisting desire, gathering education, and doing
some work, as well as allowing for luck, to actually find and produce
and clean and catalog nice fossils that are difficult to find.  I don't
think most of us have the time, and the few that do, sacrifice a lot for
the sake of this pursuit.  It can be difficult to not be consumed by it, 
but in the end, I think there are much more important things.  
However, I do have respect for the paleo degreed individuals who get out
of their chairs and spend time doing field research.  I can't see how
they can have much of a family life, but they also get the glory of the
great finds as it should be.  Not surprisingly, there is also a
connotation associated with not being a field geologist among paleon-
tologists and other geologists, such that there is some friction there.
But probably the biggest row is the fact that many geologists don't
consider paleontologists geologists, such that even they have some
degree of a persecution complex after all those years of education and
not being recognized for what they are.  As you know, it is becoming
acceptable for geologists to graduate with no paleontology in their
coursework,...adding further to this dichotomous relationship.

I think if you want to make good finds, you can't succeed without the
effort...those that don't care, I understand, don't have to do that.
Personally, I wish the outcrops I visit were closer to my house.  It
can be very much an ordeal just to get there.  Best regards, Dave
Mike Everhart wrote:
> 
> Calymene@pacbell.net wrote:
> 
> > I agaricocrinus with him. Everyone wants but few are able.
> 
> I'm sorry.....but not everyone wants to spend their time getting
> blisters, dirty, sweaty and sunburned, just to find a few bones, shells
> or whatever.......just about anyone is able if they really want to (but
> few actually do).... you don't have to have a PhD to be a
> paleontologist............it takes desire, education, hard work and
> committment but let's not get hung up on a lofty ideal.
> 
> Mike