joy unspeakable

 

There are some interesting things here about the life cycle of an object and the people who built these having a lot of skill. It makes me wonder if things aren't built to last because people aren't well versed in the knowledge of skill, material, and process? Before you get all up in my business about skill, please understand that I'm not talking about tolerance. Yes, I know things can be built to incredible tolerance these days out of space age materials. What I'm talking about is that people who build things or who have built things that needed to last (say during World War II when your life depended on it) might have a wisdom that is associated with their level of knowledge about material, process that ultimately translates to the idea of skill or knowing one's craft. 

I was listening to Alex Honnold talk about climbing and he was asked about his climbing role models. 

For me, I've always looked up to Tommy Caldwell,

who's now a good friend of mine as well.

There's people like Peter Croft, also a hero of mine

growing up, and then now a friend as an adult.

I really like climbers who are lifers, basically.

People who have devoted their whole life to the craft

and who are still doing it, still good at it, still love it.

I'll certainly be climbing my whole life.

I mean, I just love climbing. I love easy climbing.

I love rambling around in the mountains.

Like, I'll for sure do that my whole life.

Alex's comment on craft caught me immediately. It really is about understanding that there are people in this world that have devoted their life to "a thing". This doesn't mean that those people are one dimensional or lack diversity in their life, but rather that their level of wisdom goes beyond superficial knowledge. These people end up being able to have a complexity of thought and thought pattern that goes so far beyond the basics, that they become "different"; different than other people you might encounter. They also seem to have an understanding of ALL things that ultimately is gained from the relational knowledge they have from knowing that one thing so well. They're on a different level than most people, and I would dare to say that their drive comes from an unknown place that is truly natural or innate. IT'S honest; THEY... are honest. 

 The industrialization of education seems to have created people who know facts but lack wisdom. I remember people in school that could tell me the way something should be made, as if they were reciting from a book, but they truly had no experience with making or material. You had to sometimes try and decipher if they knew what they were talking about. The internet has perpetuated this as people have become "experts" on whatever they have looked up or read about. These are the people who never had a passion for learning as much as they could about a thing but sought to assert their image by being the expert in the room. Artificial Intelligence will bring a new level of this. Will it be able to have the wisdom of the engine builder who seems to have worked on every combustion engine known to mankind, or the contractor who has built a hundred homes, or the designer/architect that has not only designed but who has built, and used his/her many creations?

This video made me question if there will ever be a product or creation that was created to have the longest life cycle possible? Will there ever be a product/creation that was designed and built to be fixed/repaired by its user? 

The video has also left me with the following questions:

Have you ever felt compelled to learn more by doing something even if it really makes no sense professionally or financially? Have you ever sought out something that most people see as folly or a waste of time? Have you ever done things that appear to make no logical sense to those around you? Have you ever just felt compelled to do something or that there was something deep inside of yourself that was creating a thirst for something that you can't explain? When pursuing this thing has time ceased to exist and you have given no care or thought to the things immediately around you except for that single pursuit? Is there an activity that you would be willing to devote your life to every single day and never get tired of it? 

If so... pursue it... and devote your life to it... and the result will be wisdom and joy unspeakable.