Negotiating marriage contracts yourself?

Negotiating your marriage contract yourself might sound like a good idea, until you comprehend all the legal expertise and wrangling of different interests that goes into one.

I mean, do you really want to spend your pre-marriage honeymoon time haggling with your sweetie over how your common property might be divided after a death or divorce?

Or would it be much nicer if you knew Somebody Else with your best interests at heart will sort out an advantageous deal for you?

This is something I believe us Matari do better than the Gallente.

IGS, Entertainment abroad ship

On IGS, there was a question about possible entertainment for Minmatar passengers.

The thread did not start particularly well, but as the thread starter did not seem too happy about the trolling I decided to try to be helpful nevertheless:

How about dancing?

In addition to modest amount of space and sound system, you'll need music recordings and possibly instructional holos depending on whether your passengers share a dance tradition. Such can be easily bought in the Republic, and downloaded from well-stocked entertainment and ethnic stores in other civilized space.

If your ship has good facilities for physical exercise, different sports, games and martial arts are also pretty popular in the area of Matar I come from.

"I already have a boyfriend"

Some girls, especially ones from patriarchal clans seem to use "I already have a boyfriend" as an explanation of why they are not interested in a guy.

Sometimes, it means literally that: They might be interested if they were single, but since they already have a boyfriend switching would be too much bother.

And sometimes, it is just a convenient excuse, a way to avoid having to say "no" to a man you're not interested in.

Is using it in the last way lazy and dishonest, or is it a nice way of avoiding awkward confrontations by a white lie you know the other party is likely to swallow? Do men feel insulted if they are used as an excuse that way?

Marriages and divorces

Sometimes, marriages do not work out.

I wonder how the clanless manage divorces, with no proper marriage contract and no clan to look after their interests. With difficulty, I imagine.

Not that having a contract makes the situation easy, either.

When do you strike?

There are several schools of thought in regard to when you should strike at an enemy.

For some, the greatest honour is won by beating an enemy when he is at his strongest, as it demonstrates the greatest strength and skill.

For some others, the greatest honour comes from striking him when he is weak, so victory comes swiftly and the struggle causes least harm to the ones you love.

IGS, about religion

Post to IGS:

There is no single Matari religion. Clans have their own ways.

In my clan, we believe in the existence of gods, but we do not worship them or follow their commands. We honor our ancestors, with whom we share body and spirit. We understand virtues, honor and duty, and assert that there is a difference between right and wrong.

Not really in reply to Archbishop, more to educate others who may read it.

As if a religion should necessarily be about gods or afterlife, or that the existence of a god necessitates following her will.

The price of anger is embarrassment

My clan has a saying: "The price of anger is embarrassment".

What it refers to is that in my clan a public insult is seen to require a public apology. The thinking in our clan is that the custom sets the social norm of acceptable behaviour.

If the insult or crime happens in public, but chastisement and consequences are private, people who are not participants in the events will see the insult and not the amends. This may lead to the conclusion there have been no amends, that such behaviour is all right - even if that is not true.

Incidentally, the custom also acts as something of a deterrent to hotheads, such as yours truly. Being forced to publicly admit you're wrong can sting, even if you actually are wrong.

Non-capsuleer implants

For many people, capsuleer implants are the first ones they get.

I got my first child-model implants in my teens, after proper clan rites. Memory augmentation, math routines, file storage and such basic school-help stuff.

Talking stronger

Some people make communication an ego contest.

They seem to think using stronger and more antagonizing language makes them seem more clever or the listeners more likely to agree and understand.

In my opinion neither is true.

Freedom and romantic relationships

Sometimes Gallente argue having romantic relationships subject to clan approval limits freedom.

In theory, maybe, for some definitions of freedom. In practice - why would I want to have a serious romantic relationship with somebody my kin do not approve of? There is usually a good reason for such disapproval.

I certainly hope my relatives would try to stop me if I had a strike of idiocy and wanted to get seriously involved with a blooder or something.

Hate as definition of identity

I often encounter our people saying we should avoid becoming what we hate, when they argue against some practice of our enemies (particularly the Amarr).

Even if I might agree with the idea argued for, I dislike that reason support it.

Why should we care what our enemies are like for the purposes of defining what we are like? We should strive to have an identity of our own, instead of being not-them.

Personal and communal responsibility

Matari and non-Matari can have a different sense of honor and responsibility.

Some non-Matari (especially Gallente individualists) want to be considered as individuals first, and members of their reference groups (clans, corporations, social circles) second - if at all.

They do not generally consider it fair or just to be judged for the misdeeds of their relatives or friends, and do not want to feel responsible for consequences of actions that are not their own.

From the perspective of communal responsibility such views are odd. Who we are associated with defines a large part of who we are. Inaction counts as action.

"It was not me, he did it." Yet, he was your kin, should you not have prevented him?

"I did not know what he was doing." Yet, if he was indeed your close friend, should you not have known?

Perhaps, if he indeed was your kin or friend, he should have thought of you before doing what he did.