Wrong?

Okay guys, it has been a while since I have been able to write a new post. I apologize. Sometimes life throws things at you that simply cannot be avoided or put on the back burner. Today's post will be short and simple but with a powerful message for thought.

How many times have we done things that we were convinced was right and in actuality it might not have been? This could be morally, physically, emotionally or even just acts in our every day world. Recently I came across a video by total happenstance that really hit home with me. I think most of us have heard of Mike Rowe. He has been the host of Dirty Jobs that airs on the Discovery Channel since its inception. The premise, for those who do not know, is that Mr. Rowe goes out in all parts of our country and becomes an apprentice for a day, doing the dirtiest, nastiest, and often most difficult and taxing jobs that there are in any workplace. He was shoveled chicken poop from under breeding houses, crawled into tiny spaces to blast out smut from boilers and furnaces and has even done things way more bizarre in the eye of the average man or woman. I always enjoy watching this program. Not only is the viewer made aware of the types of dirty jobs out there but also it sheds a light on the importance of them in the sustainability of our nation as a whole.

Growing up, my Dad "taught" me the right way to sweep. This was his opinion obviously and he was darn set in it being the best way. I guess being the stubborn kid I was, or perhaps just the fact that I like to think outside of the box, I found another way. I would hold the broom with hands opposite of tradition. For me it made more sense. It is difficult to explain just what that means here, but my point is, in my mind, my Dad was wrong. As I grew into an adult and used brooms a lot over the years, I came to the understanding that neither of us were really wrong. The adage, there is more than one way to skin a cat, applies. With regulations and OSHA and other red tape installments, many things that our ancestors did, and did with great success, now are not permissible. Away from tasks, I think we have all crossed the line when it comes to morally doing something we KNEW was wrong. On the other hand, I also think that we have done things morally that we didn't actually KNOW were wrong until much later in life. We have been a party to and also a victim of emotional wrongs as well. We have slighted people and have been stabbed in the back. Another angle to this is also the fact that so many famous persons have fallen prey to steroid use and abuse for example.. It is wrong, it is cheating and it does not pay off in the end. It also leads to physical, mental and emotional difficulties.

Morally, ethically, and physically, steroid use, even in a legal instance, is questionable. But back to the issue of every day, generic tasks. When we drive our vehicles, we know we shouldn't eat and text and smoke and drink and fard and chat on the cell phone while we are driving, yet we do it anyway. Wrong.....Wrong choices that often results in the right consequence, tragic as it may be. Getting back to Mike Rowe. As I said, I happened across a related video that came up after reading a response he had written to someone who asked of him the way to find your dream job. Excellent article and response by the way. In the video I reference, Mr. Rowe is at a TED conference as a key speaker. I had often thought him to be a very smart, educated, hard working individual. Well, after watching this video, I felt, well, somewhat dumber. His mastery of the English language, his nomenclature, delivery and reasoning blew me away. As a quick synopsis of his talk, he covers how in doing the show Dirty Jobs he didn't really think about the jobs he was asked to do or give much credence to the individuals that do them daily. It was as if he had an epiphany, a clarity of reasoning and thought. I am going to try and insert the link to his video and hope that it works. I encourage you to watch it. Whether you are a white collar, blue collar, or other type of worker, his message will apply to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVdiHu1VCc


After watching it twice now, for me it has made me aware of two things. One is that hard work is never a bad thing. and two, that without hard work we as a people often lose track of what is really important. When you can pick up dead carcasses on the roadway and whistle while you do it, that says something. It says you are content in what you are doing. It also says that even if you don't like the job you have, your attitude can most assuredly affect it in a positive way. In closing, watch the video. Watch other videos that Mike Rowe is involved with. He is a breath of fresh air in an often dirty world. We all need a gut check from time to time. Don't be afraid to admit that you may have been wrong or that you are wrong. People far wiser than we, in the grand scope of things, do know a thing or two that we can choose to learn from.