The "other" end of the DIR question

[MXGratefulDiver]

Why does it take a wide open mind to be told how to do something. A wide open mind is required when one needs to think for themselves, not when told how to think.

This is a popular misconception ...

I took the DIR-Fundamentals class ... but I didn't drink the Kool-Aid. I am not, and will probably never be, what most would consider "DIR".

My observation was that nobody tried to tell me how to think, or sell me on any idealogy. It was rather disarming, really ... because that's about what I was expecting, and it didn't happen.

My instructor went through the principles of DIR very thoroughly. At every step he explained what they did, and why they did it. He also explained why it's important to view the system as a whole ... every aspect is an interrelated part of the whole. The individual pieces will work, but they work best when taken together. I'm sure you have heard the phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" ... that's the approach. And based on the presentation, I believe it has some validity ... even though I decided that there are aspects that I will probably not buy into due to personal preference.

At no point did he tell us what to think. At no point did he bash how other people do it. There was no attempt at dogma (which wouldn't have worked on me anyway). It was simple, straightforward, and logical.

They do ask you to wear specific gear for the class ... that's because the skills they ask you to do preclude the use of certain types of gear.

I had a lot of issues with my own performance during the class, partly because I switched over to an unfamiliar rig to take it. But I cannot fault either their approach to diving, or their approach to teaching. Neither was presented to me as an attempt to tell me what to think. More accurate to say it was presented in a way as to challenge me to think about the DIR system from a logical, functional point of view.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Aquamaniac]

Why does it take a wide open mind to be told how to do something. A wide open mind is required when one needs to think for themselves, not when told how to think.

Very few, if any. DIR divers just do it because they were told so.
They took the class, weighed up the options, listen to what was said, and made a conscious decision that it was a philosophy that they understood and agreed with, hence adopted.
The type of fool who would walk into a DIR training session with the attitude "im gonna do it cos you said so" would last about 5 minutes.

Surely you remeber this from your Fundamentals class?
Who was your DIR instructor?

 

[Aquamaniac]

What a great objective and honest post Bob.
Well put.

 

[VTernovski]

2) I can't afford the equipment that I would probably need to buy someday,

I agree with this one... as O-Ring has pointed out else where on the board, we also have to rinse our gear with a DIR approved Evian type bottled water, which can get very expensive.

 

[Snowbear]

Why does it take a wide open mind to be told how to do something. A wide open mind is required when one needs to think for themselves, not when told how to think.

You are correct. Which is why one of the basic, most fundamental concepts the DIR instructors (at least the ones I've observed in DIRf and Tech1) stress is their purpose is to create thinking divers!
In the DIRf class I observed part of earlier this month, one guy had a 30cf pony bottle attached to his tank. The instructors asked him why he had it. He told them. MHK shrugged and they let him dive with it. As the one taking some of the video, I was able to see clearly how it was messing him up. I didn't see the video review later, but I noticed on the boat this past weekend the guy didn't have his pony bottle

 

[Jason B]

Thanks for the insight Bob, aquamaniac, and snowbear.

 

[alikws]

i an not a hogarthian diver, but have lurked on boards &c, have read on it, and am working towards...

going back to the original question - one of the biggest barriers is the name - dir - 'doing it right, or if you are not doing it right, then what are you doing... this alone seems to breed egotism...

recomend going back to the older alternate name for it, hogarthian diving...
if a hog-f course were offered in the area, i'd consider taking it, i understand the raw ideas behind it, see the reasoning behind much of it {if you think an emergancy in open water is scary, try a silted out cave where knowing exactly where everything is stowed, how it operates and can be found by feel is critical}
in addition, it takes a certan state of mind to safely plan and cary out a cave exploration...

{pausing to wring saltwater out of my breechclout, shake out my roach, and unroll a belt of 2 row wampum}

both hogarthian and recreational training and configurations are valid for their design... you can dive safely with recreational equipment in a recreational environment... you can dive safely in a wide range of enviroments with hogarthian tools & training...
both sides can learn from each other without interfering with each other...
more later... {splash}

 

[Soggy]

going back to the original question - one of the biggest barriers is the name - dir - 'doing it right, or if you are not doing it right, then what are you doing... this alone seems to breed egotism...

Actually, it seems to breed resentment.

It's a name. If people are so hung up over the name that they refuse to learn about the principles involved, they need to get some therapy.

 

[detroit diver]

Help me to understand this. You would take a class named hog-f, but not a class named DIR-F, even though it is the exact same class, but has a different name? Am I missing something?

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that DIR is far more encompassing that just Hogarthian diving style.

i an not a hogarthian diver, but have lurked on boards &c, have read on it, and am working towards...

going back to the original question - one of the biggest barriers is the name - dir - 'doing it right, or if you are not doing it right, then what are you doing... this alone seems to breed egotism...

recomend going back to the older alternate name for it, hogarthian diving...
if a hog-f course were offered in the area, i'd consider taking it, i understand the raw ideas behind it, see the reasoning behind much of it {if you think an emergancy in open water is scary, try a silted out cave where knowing exactly where everything is stowed, how it operates and can be found by feel is critical}
in addition, it takes a certan state of mind to safely plan and cary out a cave exploration...

{pausing to wring saltwater out of my breechclout, shake out my roach, and unroll a belt of 2 row wampum}

both hogarthian and recreational training and configurations are valid for their design... you can dive safely with recreational equipment in a recreational environment... you can dive safely in a wide range of enviroments with hogarthian tools & training...
both sides can learn from each other without interfering with each other...
more later... {splash}

 

[android]

Actually, it seems to breed resentment.

It's a name. If people are so hung up over the name that they refuse to learn about the principles involved, they need to get some therapy.

Yeah, and if I decide to start the "First Church of We Rock and the Rest of You are Going to Hell", but we're very nice and if you would just study our principles to see how great we are, you'd love us.

how do you think I'd do? After all, it's just a name.