Michel, as I have already said, my intention was not to be harsh, not to be hypercritical, and certainly not to dismiss all posts except the one about the ron dha/OM theory as childish.
However, if we were to go back through all the posts that have ever put up in our warung, or in the old forum, how many times would we come across evidence of a new idea?
We can find plenty of basic questions, the answers to most of which are covered somewhere in the published literature. We can find plenty of questions in the nature of "what is it, and where does it come from?" I have no criticism of this type of thing, especially so as I realise only too well that the vast bulk of people who read and contribute to this discussion group are not really all that interested in what the Hindu priests of Majapahit had for breakfast.
All these questions I think we can consider as being "in the square", that is, they are the normal, standard type of fare for general discussion amongst a group of people with a shared interest.
However, consider this:- for how much longer can this discussion group survive by repetition of the same questions in different phrasing?
We could become a "show and tell" group. Probably not too bad a thing for some of us, although I personally have reservations about this type of content.
Or we can try taking a slightly more in depth approach to the subject of the keris.
The two people whom I regard as my most important teachers of the keris never actually "taught" me anything. They would only answer a question if I raised that question. Once I asked one of them why he would not sit down and tell me everything he considered that I needed to know. He responded that when I had sufficient knowledge to ask the right questions the answers would come. I now consider this to be the best and most useful way in which to gain knowledge about the keris. I can align this approach to that used in my own profession, and I find that --- except for the window dressing--- it is the same.
Imagine for a moment that this discussion group were to be centered around drag cars, or mountain bikes, or even fishing. Discussion about these subjects, and other subjects like these subjects, seems to consistently throw up ideas on how to improve something. The contributors to the discussion are actively thinking about the subject of discussion. Yes there is a basic difference between drag cars and keris:- one is an active subject, the other is passive. However, questions can be generated by both, once we take the point of view that the keris is not simply an object divorced from its origin and environment, and frozen in time.
Michel, you have very clearly identified a number of questions that could be raised for discussion; a couple of these questions could be considered as "big questions", questions that may not have an answer that we can uncover. These would make wonderful questions to be raised for discussion.
Keris discussion has been going on in this site for a number of years. A little while ago the Warung began as a specialist place for keris discussion. I think that we can now say that we are well established as the place to come to for those people who want to talk about the keris in the English language. The dues have been paid.If we are to move to the next level it I suggest that perhaps the time is ripe for some slightly more thought provoking questions to be raised.
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