"I think this statement is basically making the person who provides the discouragement Judge, Jury and Executioner. You say giving out discouragement will weed out the people who are in it for the novelty. Well what happens if you happen unintentionally to kill the hopes of a person that is in it for the love of it. If you kick a dog enough times, sure as the sun rises in the morning, that dog will bolt. I see know difference if you extinguish the flame of curiosity by discouraging that person with a premeditated act. That person will never return and it just might be to the bonsai communities lose."
Oh, c'mon. This assumes the person trying to learn is nothing more than a slug, incapable of pursuing anything if they run into a little resistance, in thsi case ELECTRONIC (not even real) resistance.
The person learning is the SOLE judge, jury and executioner. It is up to him/her to pursue what they want. As much as a self-centered demigod as I am, I cannot control the actions of others, nor am I responsible for them. If someone is so shallow as to allow some cramped Internet curmudgeon like myself to crush all their widdle bonsai dreams
, then that person probably has far bigger issues than whether he wants to do bonsai.
I do not "premeditate" to kill others' dreams. I do not look to actively discourage anyone. I actually try to help people. Don't think so? Do a search on my name, see what comes up. Ask anyone here....Show me where I've killed someone's dreams or told them to quit...
"If you kick a dog enough times, sure as the sun rises in the morning, that dog will bolt"
Mixed metaphor aside
, Not true. To confirm people's worst thoughts about me, I've kicked my dog since he was a puppy. He's still here, he limps a bit though