Friday, March 12, 2004
Friday Part One: My Dad and Me
Haikei tomodachi,
I am sorry that I missed a day of posting! It has been busy this week. The post will be a little longer today to catch up, so I will break it into two. Ii desu ka?
This morning I got to spend some time with my dad. That doesn’t get to happen very often. It was a very nice time. We went to get coffee, and ended up spending two hours sitting and talking. We talked about many things (like Native American history, my grandfather’s bee farming days, money, the Bible, and so on), but one topic sticks out in my mind.
I got a lot of my attitudes in life from my father. He is what we call your typical blue-collar worker. This means that he is a laborer, and hasn’t a lot of money or education. He grew up on farms, joined the Army to fight in Vietnam, and has worked for an elevator construction company. He has a very community oriented philosophy, and hardly ever turns down a person in need. My father also will talk to anyone; he doesn’t have prejudices based on appearances.
One particular topic we talked about is the philosophy of paying others to do work for you. I am awful at automobile maintenance. I just never had an interest in repairing or reconditioning cars. So, if I have car troubles, I usually pay someone else to fix it. A lot of my friends will give me a hard time about this because many of the repairs can be done “easily” at home.
My theory on this is as follows: I have been blessed with a mind for science and math. I have used this gift, and desire for formal education, to start on the path to being a pharmacist. Pharmacists get paid the salaries that they do because not just anyone can step in and do that job. So, my talents have made it possible to make a living.
I see automotive repair the same way. A skilled mechanic has been blessed with a mind and body to fix cars. There is no shame in that profession (although society often looks down on mechanics). I do not have a problem with paying these men and women for their abilities. Why should I cut them out of their trade and livelihood to save a few bucks? It is true that I could save money, but it seems wrong to me to be so selfish. Besides, I don’t think that even the “simple” operations would turn out for the good of my car if I attempted them. Beyond airing up tires and changing oil, automobile repair is a mystery to me. I am thankful that there are those who enjoy it and are good at it.
Anyway, this is just one of the attitudes that I have been passed from my dad. It was nice to spend time with him, and to remember where it is I came from. Have you talked to your father lately?
I am sorry that I missed a day of posting! It has been busy this week. The post will be a little longer today to catch up, so I will break it into two. Ii desu ka?
This morning I got to spend some time with my dad. That doesn’t get to happen very often. It was a very nice time. We went to get coffee, and ended up spending two hours sitting and talking. We talked about many things (like Native American history, my grandfather’s bee farming days, money, the Bible, and so on), but one topic sticks out in my mind.
I got a lot of my attitudes in life from my father. He is what we call your typical blue-collar worker. This means that he is a laborer, and hasn’t a lot of money or education. He grew up on farms, joined the Army to fight in Vietnam, and has worked for an elevator construction company. He has a very community oriented philosophy, and hardly ever turns down a person in need. My father also will talk to anyone; he doesn’t have prejudices based on appearances.
One particular topic we talked about is the philosophy of paying others to do work for you. I am awful at automobile maintenance. I just never had an interest in repairing or reconditioning cars. So, if I have car troubles, I usually pay someone else to fix it. A lot of my friends will give me a hard time about this because many of the repairs can be done “easily” at home.
My theory on this is as follows: I have been blessed with a mind for science and math. I have used this gift, and desire for formal education, to start on the path to being a pharmacist. Pharmacists get paid the salaries that they do because not just anyone can step in and do that job. So, my talents have made it possible to make a living.
I see automotive repair the same way. A skilled mechanic has been blessed with a mind and body to fix cars. There is no shame in that profession (although society often looks down on mechanics). I do not have a problem with paying these men and women for their abilities. Why should I cut them out of their trade and livelihood to save a few bucks? It is true that I could save money, but it seems wrong to me to be so selfish. Besides, I don’t think that even the “simple” operations would turn out for the good of my car if I attempted them. Beyond airing up tires and changing oil, automobile repair is a mystery to me. I am thankful that there are those who enjoy it and are good at it.
Anyway, this is just one of the attitudes that I have been passed from my dad. It was nice to spend time with him, and to remember where it is I came from. Have you talked to your father lately?
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