Plaitting ropes of sand

The man who writes to the masters of Pig Island
about the love they dread
plaits ropes of sand
Yet i was born among them
and one day
will lie amonst their dead.

James K. Baxter
Pig Island letters

Writing the ethics application, still, is a lot like plaitting ropes of sand.
Its important, but it seems incredibly time wasting if not detached from reality.
I've almost got enough rope to hang myself with!

How to obtain consent from online others...
who may or may not be under 18yrs...
who therefore in a std ethics application would, apparently, need parental consent...
but what they talk about online, they may not want their parents to know...
and it could be unsafe for the young person, that their parent/gaurdian knows...
and where anonymity is promised....
and the content is personal/private...
Seems like every little bell that can send off alarm bells for the ethics committee, short of it involving toxic waste, has now been rung.