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Rich Pyle wrote:

> Standards discourge thinking and understanding.

Hi Rich,

To an extent I believe you may be correct. However, I would argue a point or
two to the contrary anyway (It's my nature).

I think human beings need standards to bring order to their lives. We all
live by standards: be at work by 8 or the boss will chew you out; drive 55 or
you get a ticket; drink a fifth of gin and get behind the wheel and you go to
jail; dive a ppO2 lower than 1.4 or you will get OxTox. 

As I'm sure you will agree there are exceptions to all of these rules. If
your boss is occupied and doesn't see you come in...you skate. If there are
no cops around...you skate. If your physiology is tolerant of O2 today...you
skate. A standard is a conclusion arrived at by people who spent some time
thinking and understanding the problem at hand. Some may be arbitrary, but
most have some reasoning and logic behind them. A standard is something to be
taught WITH the thinking and understanding that goes with it.

Frankly, I get frustrated whenever the subject of standards comes up because
invariably someone (I'm not picking on anyone in particular here) will say
something like "I'll dive anyway I damn well please." They are right
too...they WILL dive any way they damn well please, and it's not my job nor
my desire to stop them. A standard is something that is taught. Compliance
with the standard is an individual choice. If you choose to violate the
standard you may skate...but then, maybe you won't. It's like wearing your
seatbelts. There are indeed people who get killed wearing them. But there is
a whole lot of other people walking around today because they had theirs
on...and a whole lot of others who can't tell you they wish they had worn
their's because they are dead.

I believe humans need order in their lives to be comfortable. Standards,
rules, policies, etc. help provide that order. We have to teach new divers
SOMETHING whether it's 1.4 or 1.6 or 2.0. By understanding the thinking and
reasoning behind the standard we can make educated decisions about our
individual compliance. And we may decide that the standard is too strick or
too liberal. If enough people come to the same conclusion about a standard it
may lead to changing the standard. But this only happens after thinking and
understanding (and discussion and arguments and flames).

Then too there is the diver who, for whatever reason doesn't want to
understand the reason. This may be the diver to whom you were referring. This
diver just wants to know what ppO2 he should use as his limit without
understanding the WHY. He certainly has the right to just dive the standard
without understanding it. You or I may not want to dive with him but maybe he
doesn't care if we dive with him or not. For this person a good sound set of
standards developed by thinking divers is essential.

I see all the discussion regarding ppO2 and narcosis levels (EAD=130) simply
as a group of concerned divers trying to arrive at a consensus for the
standard. You may see it differently, and if so that's fine. No one believes
more in freedom of expression than I. I have been in the publishing industry
for many years and I never cease to be amazed at the diversity of opinion
that exists.

Thanks and Aloha to you too Rich!

Win
deeptek@ao*.co*

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