Changes to the iron ring ceremony 4

[geotechguy1]

https://engineerscanada.ca/news-and...-in-calling-for-changes-to-iron-ring-ceremony

For the Canadians out there who went through this.

Good to see some changes being proposed. Personally, I went through this a decade ago now and I thought it was some weird shit leading up to it and then I actually did the ceremony and it was some even weirder cult like shit. I appreciate the symbolism behind the ring but the ceremony itself feels like something out of a stone masons meeting from 1890.

 

[dik]

...even "egotistical sociopath" can have visions and know what type of world is best.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[CWB1]

What type of world is best? Not to nitpick, but an important distinction to remember is that every idea has pros and cons that will help some and harm others.

I do agree with the larger point however that anybody can have an idea worth considering. The opposite is also true. Personally I'm thankful not to be a major world figure, I'd rather not have every statement and decision second-guessed decades afterward by folks with little understanding of the struggles of my life/time.

 

[1503-44]

Egotistical sociopaths don't often like to entertain a multitude of ideas.

Never heard of the iron ring,

Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[dik]

Egotistical sociopaths only need one 'true' path or idea.

As far as the iron ring goes... it's mostly a Canadian thing, from a time where the engineering profession was 'lofty'.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/iron-ring

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[SAITAETGrad]

I have to admit, Kipling and Stalin are not people that worry me today. They died many years ago.

The people alive today that say they must gain ever more control of your life to "...build a better world..." worry me considerably more.

If the Ritual of the Iron Ring is a bit silly a bit serious with some flaws but also some utility - why not just leave it alone?

 

[dik]

I wouldn't change it because of the tradition... your call if you opt out... Changing it only begs for future changes...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[SAITAETGrad]

Yes, the Wardens said in their release that they hoped that making changes would set the ritual up for another century. Based on that comment, it would seem they really don't understand what is happening. They'd be lucky to get five years.

 

[SAITAETGrad]

Update:

Link

They are requesting new poems. We'll see how this goes.

The Engineer's Masterpiece, or The Iron Ring

Have you heard of the Iron Ring,
A symbol of an engineer's thing,
Designed to last a hundred years,
And leave no engineer in tears.

The story goes, in days of yore,
The iron rings were forged before,
A pledge to ethics, truth, and skill,
A vow to do no engineer ill.

The ring was built to last and last,
Through every trial and tempest blast,
A symbol of a noble craft,
And a mark of those who know their graft.

But as the years went rolling by,
And revolutions swept on high,
The Iron Ring, it lost its way,
And soon began to fall away.

In China's Cultural Revolution,
The old was torn down, a resolution,
To build a better world for all,
But soon the dream began to fall.

In Russia, too, a great upheaval,
To make a new world, a fresh medieval,
But the old ways died hard and slow,
And soon they had nowhere to go.

And so it happened, a hundred years to the day,
The ceremony was held, they say,
To honor engineers and their might,
And celebrate their ethical light.

But as they stood and took the pledge,
The Iron Ring, upon the edge,
Began to crumble and to fall,
A symbol of a broken call.

For those who tore down institutions old,
In the name of progress, truth be told,
Were blinded by their own conceit,
And failed to see the Ring's defeat.

The engineers looked on in shock,
As the Iron Ring, with a knock,
Collapsed into a heap of rust,
A memory of a bygone trust.

The new engineers scratched their head,
"What do we do?" they sadly said,
But then one had a brilliant plan,
"I know! Let's use a rubber band!"

And so the rubber band was stretched,
But alas, it quickly wretched,
As the demands of revolution,
Led to its quick dissolution.

And so they learned a lesson dear,
That progress is not always clear,
That what is old should not be cast,
But cherished, honored, and built to last.

For times have changed, and so have we,
But progress is not always free,
And so we mourn what has passed,
And learn from our mistakes at last.

The Iron Ring, it may be lost,
And with it, ethics at a cost,
But let it be a cautionary tale,
Of hubris and progress that sometimes fail.

 

[dik]

I kinda like Dr. Seus, myself...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[geotechguy1]

It sort of reads like they're thinking of keeping 'If' and some other aspects of the ceremony but replacing 'The Sons of Martha' and 'The Hymn of the Breaking Strain'

 

[SAITAETGrad]

No, they are overhauling far more than a couple poems.

 

[Sparweb]

And yet,
in this month's circular from APEGS:

Call for Expressions of Interest
The Corporation of the Seven Wardens is seeking to commission new poems to be used in the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer and a historical video in honour of its 100th anniversary in 2025. The deadline to submit expressions of interest is March 31, 2023.