Watch people are, on the whole, good people...

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When people share an interest they are usually more empathetic.
Also the interest we share is one rooted deeply in the more civilized mind. To understand just how things work and how so many over many centuries have contributed to making something work to its best capability and then adapt it to extreme environments on Earth and in the heavens.
 
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...But in general, all you folks who participate in a way that keeps the the standards of conduct so refreshingly high, I give my thanks and appreciation.
Nice to see such a positive thread and I agree with your sentiment! 👍

I heard a great story from the late Dr. Wayne Dyer about new neighbors moving in and inquiring about what the people were like. I can't find a link to his story directly (I heard it on a PBS special, something about his 10 secrets or something like that...) but I found another post with a similar story from Dr. Dyer:

My late, great colleague and mentor, Dr. Wayne Dyer, bought a house on the beach in a new development in Hawaii.

Every day as Dr. Dyer walked on the beach, he encountered new neighbors who were moving into the development. One morning he met a gentleman who had just moved to Hawaii from New Jersey. The gentleman asked Dr. Dyer, “What are people like here? Are they friendly?”

Dr. Dyer considered it a moment and then asked, “What are people like where you come from?” The gentleman blurted out, “They are rude, thoughtless, and annoying.” Dr. Dyer responded, “You’ll find people to be about the same here.”

As Dr. Dyer continued his walk, he was met by an elderly lady who had just relocated from Nebraska.

She asked, “Are the residents here nice?” Dr. Dyer inquired, “Are people nice where you come from?”

She smiled and said, enthusiastically, “Yes! People in Nebraska are friendly, giving and loving.”

Dr. Dyer smiled and stated, “You’ll find people here in Hawaii to be just the same.”


I believe it is actually quite an old proverb, told in many ways, but the meaning and value is basically that we find what we look for. If someone comes to OF looking for the good, they will find it in many people here. If they come looking for the bad, they'll find that too (I would argue it's rare, but it still exists as it does anywhere that humans interact).
😎
 
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I believe it is actually quite an old proverb, told in many ways, but the meaning and value is basically that we find what we look for. If someone comes to OF looking for the good, they will find it in many people here

A vey important point, and one that I agree with. I'm a big fan of Dr. Dyer, in fact, his book "Change your thoughts, change your life" was enlightening.

Yet...I did not come looking for good or bad people here. And I try not to preconceive any group experiences in terms of the type of people I may encounter. And, I would add that even with my personal bias to see the best in humanity, I am frequently disappointed.

I've collected fountain pens, animation art, vintage racing bicycles, and decoys. In each of these venues, I've done a tenth of the number of deals I've done with wristwatches, and have had ten times the aggravation. Yes, all hobby groups have good and bad actors. But my point was (and not undermining yours in the slightest), that the density of trustworthy, honest, and high-standard participants just seem to be higher here from my perspective. And if I'm wrong, that makes me even happier.
 
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There are many members here I would not hesitate to buy from in heart beat. There are others I would not. The main guage for me for this is how they conduct themselves on the forum. When reading many threads it becomes quite apparent who is a rotten egg and who is a good egg. As said there are more good eggs than bad eggs here.
 
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...Yes, all hobby groups have good and bad actors. But my point was (and not undermining yours in the slightest), that the density of trustworthy, honest, and high-standard participants just seem to be higher here from my perspective.
Understand your point, and agree the density of good people here is high! 👍 (Aside from OF, I spend most of my time working with no other hobby hang-out groups...).
 
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Perfect. I'm about to go park in Virginia traffic myself.
 
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Not all...
I would love to know more about this piece.

I'm a big fan of WWII history!
 
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Bought a Longines Legend Diver dirt cheap from a fellow who honestly told me it was losing 15secs/day. A variation most collectors wouldn't notice unless they wear it religiously every day. Got it home, he was right. -15secs/day. Amplitude and BE were fine so adjusted the regulation to 0 secs/day. How about that. A truly honest seller.
 
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Bought a Longines Legend Diver dirt cheap from a fellow who honestly told me it was losing 15secs/day. A variation most collectors wouldn't notice unless they wear it religiously every day. Got it home, he was right. -15secs/day. Amplitude and BE were fine so adjusted the regulation to 0 secs/day. How about that. A truly honest seller.
I've been wanting one of those...
 
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When I first joined the site You guys were helping out that gentleman who was injured. I thought that was amazing. Especially when you are facing a similar issue and realize how much something like that means. I wouldn’t have an issue buying from this site. Almost did but it was right at the time that Icelandic guy pulled that scam.