Let’s hear it for Polycarp - the doper closest to canonization.
He keeps his cool in debate and his compassion in confusion; he believes in the Christianity of Christ and the government of ethics.
Amazing fellow, to say the barest minimum. There was never a doper who was a truer credit to the boards and the ideal of Fighting Ignorance.
Okay, folks, let’s get the buffet table set up. Light the fireworks!
¡Salud y pesetas, amigo!
Yay Polycarp! Mr. Cool! Mr. Wonderful! Mr. Prolific Straight Dope Poster!
We’re so glad you’re here!
Newbie enjoys Polycarp. Happy 10000 when it happens.
But then matt, you’re not so far behind either.
I’m humbled by you all. *** measly and lowly 24 posts***
I was thinking about this when I noticed he needed nine or so, but a greater mind beat me to it.
Love you, Poly. You’re an impressive person and a fine contributor here - this board would be lessened without your presence.
Congratulations, brother. You’re one of the reasons I joined this board.
CJ
same here Siege. Poly, you roozles!!! 
Congratulations, Polycarp. 
Matt, be honest. This is really just so we’d notice you’re less than 200 away yourself, isn’t it? Isn’t it?
I debated what to use post 10,000 for – I’ve always said that what you do with a milestone post is to do a little introspection and say something useful, valuable, witty, or (preferably) a combination of the three, and let that be your celebrtion, rather than a “Woohoo! I reached 500 posts!” sort of post.
But I debated what I ought to do with it, had a couple of ideas when I signed on, and saw this thread. So post 10,000 is right here: Thanking matt_mcl for starting this (and congratulating him in advance when he hits his milestone, a week or so from now), all of you who have posted for the kind words, and thinking out loud a bit:
Giving Thanks for Community: D’you all realize how truly blessed we are to have this place? That a guy from upstate New York transplanted to rural North Carolina, who never was part of the in-group anywhere, can feel this much love and caring from this many people? That he and an expatriate Brit who’s spent most of her life in Pittsburgh can be close friends with a gay young man from Montreal with a thing for subways and Esperanto, an insightful lady from California’s High Sierra, a woman from Ennzedd… and odds are so strongly against any of us ever having met in person, much less come to find friendship and a sense of community. Many have been the posts which have celebrated Cecil’s astounding knowledge – but let this one acknowledge his wisdom in bringing us all together.
Ask the Multifishes: I’ve toyed with the idea over the years of starting an “Ask the…” thread, but I have no idea what the focus would be. Certainly my religious faith, and the background knowledge I have about it, could prove interesting – but that’s not the extent of what I would want to talk about, and of what people might want to ask. Izzat something I ought to be doing? Or is it a bit of egocentrism?
Ethics and Courtesy: Strikes me that one of the things people keep telling me I’m doing right is to listen to others and try to see their POV – not necessarily agree with it, but respond to it and acknowledge it in stating where I disagree with them. I realized the other day in trying to define homophobia that it represents a subset of a dichtomy that pervades this world – those who are so stinkin’ sure that they are the repository of all that’s good and true in this world, and that people who don’t conform to what they think, feel, and do are necessarily deluded and wrong; and those who acknowledge that there’s a good reason why people are different and rejoice in the differences that we share, finding richness and new insight in those who see things differently than themselves. And that there’s an underlying ethic of respect for another as a total equal to oneself behind that latter view – an ethic that transcends religious, political, and philosophical bounds to say, “You too are a human like me, with all the hopes, fears, joys, sorrows, talents, shortcomings, insights, blind spots, and everything else that I myself am subject to. Let us reason together and take joy in the richness we can find in each other!”
Perspective: I’m in my 50s, and I’ve seen a lot of change in the world. My great-grandmother was born in 1841, and lived to attend my parents’ wedding, three months before her death. When she was a little kid, California and Europe were months away, not only to journey to but even to communicate with. Today that communication is instantaneous, and people can get up here in Pilot, drive to the Raleigh airport, and sit down for dinner in San Francisco or London.
Someone once said, “the only thing constant is change.” And I’ve been guided by having read Robert Heinlein as a child – and while many of his concepts of the future missed their mark, even more were right on target. Half the satire in Stranger in a Strange Land misses its mark today – but for a most interesting reason: it’s pretty much what people see in evryday life. (One plot gimmick in that novel hinges on the Chief Executive getting advice from his wife, who in turn gets advice from her astrologer – a totally ridiculous thing that could never happen in real life! ;)) There was a shocking detail in the novel Starship Troopers – the protagonist and his friends were wearing earrings, something no right-minded boy would ever do, at least not in 1960. His 1940 story “Let There Be Light” is based on two inventors coming up with the ridiculous idea that one might tap solar power. And I could totally bore you with dozens of examples. Heinlein achieved this high mark as prognosticator by simply honestly observing trends and writing what happened when they were extrapolated.
But what’s hit me hardest is that an America united in a sense that dreams could be achieved and that we were, beneath our differences, united in our aspirations for the future and our underlying commitment to freedom, has Balkanized itself into a bickering congeries of single-issue petty groups who feel no bond to those who disagree with them. And that is truly a tragedy.
Being something of an idealist and one with faith in the goodness of an inscrutable God, I think I know what will happen to turn that around. And someday I plan to write a post that is a fable telling that story. But it will take a sense of community among disparate people to get there.
And that brings us back to my first point. We have that community, in a virtual sense, right here. I know more about the hearts and minds of those who engage me in Great Debates and share their MPSIMS in this forum, than most people ever have about even their nearest and dearest.
Cherish that community – it’s the most precious gift we have in this world.
Peace.
Can I post under you?
Poly, you’re without a doubt the poster with the highest signal to noise ratio here on the SDMB (did I say that right? What I mean is that he’s really smart. :)). I hope to be around for another 10,000 of your insightful posts.
Cheers!
I wonder if with all that posting he got Polycarpal tunnel syndrome?
Polycarp is one of my favorite posters. Whenever I see his name at the end of a thread I know a cool, leveled headed discussion will follow. I have never read anything from him that proved otherwise.
Congrats on your 10,000th. Many more.
And early congrats to matt_mcl in case I miss his 10,000th.
Congratulations Polycarp, you really helped when I was confused with many of my own spiritual issues, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am. I am still planning on supporting the Polycarp 2004 election campaign.
moejuck
Amen, brother.
Happy 10,000th!
Happy 10,000, Polycarp. You’re an example of everything that’s right in today’s society – a thoughtful, intelligent person with firmly held beliefs who nevertheless can talk with just about anybody about just about anything without it ever descending into mindless bickering. Thanks for helping make the SDMB the place it is when I joined just a few months ago!! I only hope I can stick around as long as you have and earn even a fraction of the respect you have!
And an early happy 10,000 to Matt, too!
Thank you, Poly for your efforts. Try to get more of what you give around here, for the sake of a more balanced karma, OK? Think of it as ecumenicisim in action.
Let’s all pray for a few years of nothing but the best, for Polycarp, hmmmm? Heck, for such a noble purpose, even some of you atheists could pray just a little.
Tris
I appreciate that he deals with the fact that there is no sneezeguard. 'Grats Polycarp.
Polycarp - you are a joy to read, and a target to emulate. I have great respect for you, and it’s my fervent hope that I can read another 10,000 posts from you. Truly outstanding.
Poly, your posts never cease to amaze me. I can’t tell you how many times in some thread or another I’ve gotten my dander up and wanted to abandon my Christian faith so I could lay into somebody about their ignorance or narrow-mindedness. But then I’ll come across a post of yours that does not “lay into,” but rather explains something in a way more clearly than I could ever hope to-- all the while remaining Christ-like in your patience and tolerance.
Here’s to 10,000 more. As-Salaamu Alaykum.
Happy