After one of the longest and coldest winters in recent memory, yesterday the thermometer touched 64 degrees at my house. In Michigan, at this time of year, that constitutes a heat wave. The snow is still melting, and there is mud everywhere. It’s not the purest definition of a great time to be outside – but the human instinct knows that it is time to reconnect with nature anyway. Obeying this instinct is the foundation that leads a person into the world of creation – the world of work.
When we understand the roots of creation, and we enter into them, we are compelled to contribute. But what does it mean to enter into the roots of creation? It means that from an early age, we must recognize what resources we have been given, and we must work to harness them for the good of mankind. As an example, yesterday my seven year old son asked me when we can start collecting night-crawlers and worms for fishing – and for selling. Nothing gets closer to the roots than worms, right? But seriously, think about this, if I do my job as a parent, and encourage him to collect as many worms as he can, and reap as many benefits from it as he can, he will make an early connection with a very important concept, that is: work equals reward.
This is not an insignificant concept. It is what has driven human innovation since the dawn of time. For most of history, it has been absolutely essential. Either you work or you die. Most of the human experience has been centered around our ability to “subdue the earth” for our survival. Every time we found a new mineral or element – and a new process to handle them – we entered a new age of human advancement. And it all begins when a child discovers that the earth he lives on holds the potential to improve his life. Whether it is worms for fishing, or it is the family garden, or fruit trees, or flowers; they all result in an understanding of where our gifts come from and the work required to gain the benefits from them.
In manufacturing, we have a problem solving method called “Root Cause Analysis”. The idea is that if you understand the origins of a problem, and can solve it at that level, the problem and its symptoms will not reoccur. I am convinced that the root of the problem of “changing the perception” of manufacturing lies in the American home. And it’s not just manufacturing, it’s every industry that requires manual labor that is suffering. It is because of we have become so comfortable in our climate controlled and sterile homes that our children are not making the connection between work and reward. Literally everyday I read about the shortage of people willing to work to earn a living in this country. I talk to business leaders in a panic because they want to grow their businesses, but cannot find people that have been groomed to do the work.
Though public policy and educational systems are important aspects to providing a vibrant workforce capable of doing manual labor – today the biggest reason we are facing these shortages is primarily the failure of American parents. I know that is not going to be a popular statement, but for us to work our way out of this, it is going to require a dose of honesty. I am not claiming to have it all figured out myself by any means. I get sucked into the comforts of this world just like everyone else. But as parents, we are tasked with the job of igniting our child’s imagination and exposing them to the realities of life, and that is something I do take seriously.
But where do we begin? Let’s start by teaching them that food isn’t made at the grocery store. Everything that appears on those shelves has another person’s hard work attached to it. Even if you live in an apartment, you can get a pot and some soil and grow a tomato plant. Take your kids to an orchard for a tour; ask a local farmer to show you where the cows get milked. Let’s ignite the imaginations of our kids so one day they will be captivated by the idea of mining iron and aluminum from the ground and turning it into flying cars. Come on, it’s 2011…50 years ago they thought we would have flying cars by the year 2000! We’re running behind!
So as the weather warms up, I plan to make an extra effort to get out from behind my desk and help my son harvest night-crawlers. I will also plant a vegetable garden with my kids by my side. But I won’t just be planting seeds that grow us good food for later in the summer and fall, I will also be planting the seeds that might just help me get that flying car we’ve always wanted!
~Ryan
0 comments:
Post a Comment