From:
Norman Watts <Norman_Watts@zzzzzzz>
Date:
Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:00:14 -0500
Subject:
Stone, Re: Why I work stone and how others see it
On Jan 23, 2006, at 6:53 AM, charles.hazard@---------- wrote:
Quoted text begins.As I approach fifty years I have finally submitted to the call of the
stone and have decided to see out my working life doing what I,
after a
multitude of working experiences in other fields, have always known
would be my calling so to speak.
End of quote.
Hi Charlie,
I'm of a similar age and sometimes, like most other folks I guess,
have wondered about the other things I might do with the time
remaining. Fortunately I really like my work, but there is so much
that is fascinating and potentially rewarding out there that you
sometimes wonder if you should do something different. The problem
seems (and maybe its only a seeming one) that with a formal education
you can continue to make a living. Not that the education is
something to brag about, anyone who sits down and learns something
for several years eventually 'gets' it, but its something you can do
even when the body wears down. Sure the mind can fail but I see old
researchers still able to work. But its hard, maybe impossible, to
heft rock and hammer on things when you are old. My mother was a
great outdoors person, tougher and more immune to cold hard work than
almost anyone I know, but she can't do it anymore. When I was younger
I considered becoming a mountain guide, and although I can still get
uphill pretty good, I probably won't ten years from now. That said,
there are lots of old people in the world who have done and continue
to do manual work. Another aspect to this transitioning is that it
seems to be one directional. So you can't go back. Moving to
something more manual seems possible, but the other way seems less
so. Not because you maybe don't have what it takes, but because
society assumes you don't. Ageism creeps in and people who don't know
the first damn thing about you make assumptions about your abilities.
It is assumed you can no longer learn, perform, or produce the way
they want you to. Maybe they know that when you are older you are
less willing to buy into the system, and so they go for somebody
younger and more impressionable. I can catch the first glimpses of
this attitude even as I write this. Incidentally, I sometimes also
come across reverse discrimination when people assume that anyone
with a desk job can't figure out which end of a screwdriver to pound
on. A good friend of mine quit his job as an engineer and program
manager to start up and run a non-profit organization. After biking
to Mt McKinley from Seattle, in winter, and climbing it, he is
currently rowing across the Atlantic in a 25 ft boat. He is 45. I
wonder how he will fare in future years. So I guess I'm not making a
point, just sharing some thoughts and questions. What do you think?
Obviously you have done a switch.
n
- Follow-ups
- message 00157: Stone, Re: Why I work stone and how others see it - Robin Antar (23 Jan 2006)
- References
- message 00147: Stone, Re: Why I work stone and how others see it - charles.hazard@zzzzzzzzzz (23 Jan 2006)
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