The Hermitage, and Western Rite Issues

As usual, I had a great time at the Hermitage. I spent a great deal of my time weed eating with (the newly tonsured) Fr. Tikhon, who is always a pleasure to spend some time with. The services, though tiring due to their length, always leave one feeling that you have properly worshipped the Lord in a tradition that dates back to Jewish temple worship. The rhythm of the place is truly inspiring. If anything makes we want to turn Eastern Rite full time, its the Hermitage. Speaking of rites, the arguments about the Western Rite so common on the blogosphere an on forums seem to be heating up once again. I try to avoid reading too much of that stuff because if we are honest, it does no one's spiritual life much good, but it is important to see what people think (even if what they think doesn't deserve any credence.) I have to say, I am getting really tired of people criticizing when they not only know nothing about the history of the Western Rite, they have never actually been to a Western Orthodox service or know any Western Rite people! Apparently none of us are Orthodox, and we secretly desire to become Roman Catholics or a new branch of Anglicanism. Since most of us came from Anglicanism why would we want that? And given the new liberation of the Latin Mass in the Roman church wouldn't we just join it instead if were so addicted to tridentine forms? I can understand the arguments regarding using liturgical and devotional material from after the schism. I have issues with some of that stuff myself (why is the Diurnal only used in private for instance? And who really needs the stations of the cross anyway?) However, many if not all of the arguments used against the Western Rite are just paranoid and ignorant. I really don't appreciate being told Im not Orthodox by some raging Greek on an internet forum. My priest and (Eastern Rite) Bishop certainly think I am Orthodox! The monks at the Hermitage, who are about as conservative a group as you can find in mainstream Orthodoxy, have never questioned my Orthodoxy. My decision to join Orthodoxy was a hard one, I didn't convert so that I would have a place to safely continue my Anglo-Catholicism. There are plenty of Anglo-Catholic groups around I could have joined. There are two Roman Latin Mass communities which are very close to my house that would have loved to have me as well. No, I did my homework and I decided that Orthodoxy, regardless of the rite, was the true Church and I would settle for nothing less than the true Church. My fellow parishioners are the same. Who cares what our background is? We are here because we want to be Orthodox. None of us claim that the Western Rite is perfect, we have a lot of work to do. For all I know the Western Rite may be ended in a few years. I guarantee that most if not all of us would gladly switch to the Eastern Rite if such a thing happens. All we want is to be acknowledged as Orthodox and allowed to try and work out our salvation, just like anyone else, using the rite that millions of Christians have thrived off for over 1,000 years.