silent running

[quote=Genesis]My great grandfather didn't have to ask permission to do something that others believe required a class - nor did he have to take one. There was no license required to ride a horse......

My grandfather went off to war with minimal training, told to do one thing - shoot the other guys who want to make sure you have no freedom in the future. He survived that, and is part of why we are here today. He also drove an automobile - without a driver license - at least initially.

Those who propose that one "must" take a class within the diving realm - no matter what it may be for or who may be teaching it - are proposing that one's freedom to engage in an act that contains its risks within a profoundly personal realm be restricted. This is not driving a car or flying a plane, where when one screws up there is frequent collateral damage to those who had no voice in the decision to proceed, nor were they willing accomplices.

Hello Genesis, I disagree with your premise. I think the world really is very different from the time of our grandfathers. Mostly in a good way. The world is now more densely packed with people and our actions do affect many more people than your grandfather would have if he had fallen off a horse and broken his back.
This is one of the problems with socialized healthcare -if everybody has to pay for your mistakes, then they will want to have a say in the way you live your life. This is the origin of helmet and seatbelt and no smoking laws.
So in one sense you're right, our freedoms are being curtailed. And obviously it's not always a good thing. Is there a benefit? I wore a helmet while riding my motorcycle and after several accidents, I have to say that I'm glad I did. I might not be here today if it weren't for those laws, as I was persueded through the threat of a fine to wear a helmet and further take my safety seriously. As I rode more, I took it 1 step further and got a jacket that had a really good backpad in it. And I'm sure that after being thrown 80ft in my last accident and landing on my back I would have been paralizied if had not started taking my safety more seriously.
Very few people are true self starters. So what would the world look like if those were the only people who got to go diving? I doubt any manufacturer would have even thought about trying to bring a CCR to market, much less the first regulator. Should we really just let the young and over-enthusuastic learn the hard way? That seems a bit cruel. We all have at least 1 thing in common -we were all young and once poorly informed.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance... ! -Andy