There are many things in life that are unfair And I can only hope that this is as unfair as it gets for any of us. However, as unfair as my statements may seem they are only my words and they can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I realize that today I have equipment that is beyond what others are using. In fact, I am sure that I have single lenses that are worth more than most peoples entire collection of gear, but that is not the issue. Some of my best work (images that are still in my portfolio) was shot with a used Olympus OM1 and a 50MM stock lens that I bought for less than $100.00. And I am sure that if you or anyone else had just one of my camera bodies and lenses that you could turn out great work if you wanted to. The key phrase being if you wanted to. If the desire doesnt exist then all the gear in the world isnt going to make a difference. And that is what it all comes down to. I am a firm believer in the old adage that where there is a will, there is a way. So despite the adversity present in some of our lives, it is up to each of us to find a way to make something work, or accept the fact that we really didnt want it. While I was re-educating myself, I was living in poverty, going through a divorce and custody battle, having an operation to relieve the pain of a pinched nerve and going through physical therapy. I was also battling severe depression for which I was institutionalized, went through ECT, received counseling and was on medication for. This period of my life lasted almost 5 years. During that same time frame, I went through a three-month period where I was also homeless. (The Salvation Army provided the food I ate and the place I slept.) I do not need to go into all the details, but through out it all I managed to attend classes, get my work done, and maintain a 3.95 average. I also managed to be a father to my children and eventually won custody of them. It would have been very easy to say this is just to hard, or I dont have what it takes. During that same period, I forced myself to keep shooting. I even submitted one of my shots into the Kodak KINSA contest and it made it to the international finals. It didnt win, but getting that far was enough to let me know I was doing what I needed to do. The bottom line here, is that I am no stranger to adversity. I know that there are times when things are not the way we want them to be. I also know that as human beings we are capable of rationalizing anything we want to. Like I said before I am sorry if my comments offended anyone. I realize that this is just a simple contest that in the greater scope of things probably means very little. I guess what really bothers me is when I see people whose talent I respect give up so easily. BTW I did not call anyone a wimp. That was your choice of terminology.