There are four distinct qualities that should be avoided like the plague. Be always aware of yourself and make sure you are not developing them; but also be wary of other drill people who show them.
Here are the three characteristics:
1. The Armchair Instructor
2. The "I've seen it all" Instructor
3. The "My way or the highway" Guy
4. The Self-appointed Expert
5. The "I was in the (Marines, Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, etc)"
I'd like to address each and explain what exactly it is and how it is dangerous.
The Armchair Instructor: This is the guy who is so good, he doesn't have to drill anymore. He's the guy who will stand there all day long and tell you how to do it right or that you are doing it wrong while demonstrating little to nothing. He has taken drill to an intellectual pursuit and is more concerned with the right way of doing things and is eager to point out what is being done wrong.
Firstly, drill is a physically engaging skill. You cannot take drill to an intellectual discipline any more than you can take playing the piano. The main damage comes from the attitude and example shown to Pathfinders. This person is more concerned with rules than the spirit of drill. They will tell a Pathfinder what he/she is doing wrong all day, but only rarely commend or encourage.
There are two ways to help perfect a person. Just like there are two ways to sculpt clay. One way is to carve away the pieces you don't want and the other is to add the things you do want. In sculpting, it really makes no difference which one you use. But in Pathfindering, it makes all the difference in the world. You cannot just carve out the undesirable parts of a Pathfinder. You cannot simply tell them all they things they are doing wrong. You must build up. (Yes, you will have to carve out a little from time to time but that is not your primary forming process) The armchair instructor will leave a group of Pathfinders feeling as though they didn't try hard enough, or that they are unskilled, or that they are simply failures. I've witnessed it with my own eyes. In a matter of minutes, excited Pathfinders with their heads held high, eager to show what they have spent hours and months preparing for, confident in what they are doing; go to dejected, heads bowed, discouraged, and defeated children. It is a travesty.
The "I've seen it all" Instructor: These people are the ones who think they've been doing it so long that they know every answer and could not possibly learn anything new. I think the concept is as ridiculous as a musician thinking they'd learned all the songs or a chef thinking they've cooked all the dishes. We know drill is such a diverse discipline that to think there is nothing left in the unknown is laughable.
These folks are a detriment because they will not work to further Pathfinder Drill and Ceremonies. They kill creativity in Pathfinders and they will belittle the contributions of others.
The "My way or the highway" Guy: This guy does it one way: His way. You will need nothing short of divine intervention to change his/her mind. These people are so stuck in the sand, they won't even admit when they are wrong (and many times they are). They learned one thing and that's they way they are going to do it till the day they die. They may justify it by just saying that's how they learned it (as if their instructor couldn't have been flawed), or that's how they've always done it (as if tradition makes it right), or that they are such superior instructors no one can question them (egomaniac anyone?).
These people are just hard to work with and have no business passing those characteristics to Pathfinders. They will lord over their domain and crush any original idea presented to them. They damage Pathfinder Drill because they pass along incorrect methods and rules. They teach Pathfinders that life is to be lived to a certain framework and that there is no deviation from what they are told. There is no room for creativity or consideration of other ideas.
The Self-appointed Expert: These people are just that: They have decided they are the expert on a particular subject and know best. They will often interject their opinions, ideas, or actions where they are not needed or requested. This is often characterized by an almost non-existent education in the subject. Many of their answers about where they came up with the idea seem to stem from some form of "I just decided to do it that way." They will often appear on the fringe of the discipline. This is the exaggerated ego at its finest.
These people are detrimental to Pathfinder drill because they are at face value obnoxious. They create resentment when they try to buffalo others. They are going beyond creative to the "let's just make stuff up" area. We should not encourage Pathfinders to do whatever comes to mind without evaluation of the proper knowledge base to do so.
The "I was in the (Marines, Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, etc)": Lets get one thing straight: I respect and commend anyone who has served in the Armed Forces. However, just like many other things, experiences can go to peoples' heads. These are the people who are constantly telling how it was done in the military and typically gripe about other aspects of Pathfinder life that do not conform to the military lifestyle. The ironic thing is that these people typically have no regular expertise beyond what was taught in basic training. These are not former drill instructors, TIs, Drill Sgts, etc. They are not former honor guard members, or military instructors of any kind that could give credence to their fit to offer opinions on drill.
These people run with very rigid and inflexible clubs. They sometimes take things way too seriously and confuse strictness with high expectations. They will obsess over insignificant details at the wrong time. They limit Pathfinders to their own expertise (which is typically limited) and will sour others on Drill. While there is great potential for people with military background to excel at Drill, some need to confront their own ego and self-importance first.
To conclude: Be wary of these characteristics in yourself and others. Take care that you do not fall into these easy characteristics. Shield yourself and your Pathfinders as best you can when encountering these people. I have seen my fair share of examples of these types of people damaging Pathfinders.... discouraging them, making them feel dumb, making them feel like failures, or belittling their accomplishments. When it ends in tears, it's not appropriate.
In step with Christ.
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