There is a saying: ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’. No, it is not when it comes to training. It is stealing.
This quotation is borrowed as well from the imitation of a quote from the biography of Marcus Aurelius by Jeremy Collier and Andre Dacier. Their book ‘Emperor Marcus Antoninus his conversations with himself, 1708’.

“You should consider that Imitation is the most acceptable part of Worship, and that Gods had much rather Mankind should Resemble, than Flatter them."

Do not become a bad imitation or a thief. Become a partner instead. Its much easier and it is noble.

Humans have a good and a bad side of their conscious based on our will. It is hard to always operate on the good side, it takes humility, responsibility and discipline. But what it really takes is a spiritual humility or respect for life and the chaos of its reign. It is part to our moral compass.

And Lifesaving is a sacred trust.

It is quite intoxicating. The closer a human reaches towards negativity the sooner they start to slip and begin to lose the grip on their spiritual balance.

Soon, life begins to narrow. It becomes harder for that person to see the ramification of those choices. They will soon collect other damaged people to them to justify that reality.

Likewise, I have a saying. 'Surround yourself with your own kind'. I choose to seek out amazing humans who are nor corrupt, maybe once they were and they learned. Certainly, I have learned my lessons. We all agree we want to be better and do better.

Training is a method of action based on explicit trust. Imitation means you want to be like the person you are copying. And that is flattering, but it can be dangerous. Why?

You miss the fundamentals, the rules, regulations, safety warnings, development and content is weakened.

The benefits you will receive are far greater than the money you will save. In fact, a poor imitation may be costly: damaged equipment, ruined water jet pumps, inaccurate information, injury or death.

Your reputation is very important. The type of imitation you should seek is professional development from a qualified instructor who can guide you through the vetting process.

The great part about that is you become part of something greater than yourself. You save time and money when you go directly to a mentor, or a leading authority.

Remember, you may gain for the moment, but you can lose for a lifetime.

Invest in your reputation, seek out qualified mentors and instructors, study and listen. Take your time to build your professional portfolio.

Do not contribute to weakening the Seamanship Skills our community desperately needs to defend. Future generations are depending upon our honest commitment to honor and duty.

It begins with imitation, yes, but for the pursuit of excellence, not the bits and pieces that will create a random pattern.

All our water rescue patterns need to be based on evidence results focused on by peers who have already made those mistakes so you don’t have to.

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Posted: September 1, 2019

Content Creator of Rescue Water Craft and Personal Water Craft boating international education standards: Shawn Alladio is the world’s foremost authority and leading subject matter expert. She cares most about her community and the culture surrounding the safety of event service providers and Rescue Water Craft operators, working hard and dedicated towards protecting their reputation, distributing safety information and continuing to train these amazing individuals to the highest standards of care.

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Use at your own risk. Please take a qualified Rescue Water Craft training course and maintain proper records and respect all the PWC, RWC, PPE, and gear OEM manufacturer warning labels and cautions.