Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Handy Will Have the Advantage...


I've often thought about how various jobs will be of no real use during the millennium. As people will no longer get sick...we won't need doctors. People who are changed in the twinkling of an eye will have no use of being buried...sorry caretakers. Being a lion tamer will be anti-climatic for the audience...as lion's will no longer bear any threat. Those in government who endorse socialistic-communism will find themselves at odds with the Christ led Theocracy and will need to find something else to do...or repent.

Even without having to wait for the millennium...it is highly possible that our current skill sets and the things we do to support our families may be forced to evolve in order for us to provide the necessities of life. The man who made wheels for the Conestoga wagons may have really enjoyed what he was doing...but when people started driving cars...and the wagon wheel orders stopped...he had to move on to survive.

I've heard people exclaim what they believe are absolute truths such as..."We will always have computers and so we will always need computer techs"....or...."There will always be a future in financial planning as people will always need help figuring out what to do with their money". They believe that there are professions that are above becoming outmoded and that any sort of circumstances could not change that. People that make such statements...by my estimation...fail to understand how fragile the civilization we live in is. They don't seem to feel like I do...that although we can look to the future with an optimism for long days of happiness...that we know with complete certainty there will be rugged...rugged days ahead. That we are always standing on the precipice of disaster...and the world as we know it changed overnight.

Who is going to need computer tech help if we have an EMP detonation and a war on our soil that destroys the infrastructure of the country... if we have no electricity...all the computers are fried...and people are trying to just get food and shelter?

Who is going to want a financial planner if hyperinflation destroys the use of the dollar and a system of barter emerges in the place of a fiat currency?

These are just a couple of the professions that are very valuable in a working economy and country...but could "go the way of the wagon wheel" in hard times.

In a preparedness talk classic by Ezra Taft Benson called "Prepare Ye"...he discussed various last days events and how to be prepared for them. Regarding what skills and vocations will be valuable he said...

"Men who can perform useful skills with their hands will be in increasing demand. Handymen, farmers, builders, tailors, gardeners, and mechanics can and will prove a real blessing to their families and their fellowmen."

I run into people from time to time who state "I'm not handy at all". They then point to either nature or nurture as the cause for their ineptitude. "My dad never taught me!"...or..."My brain just isn't wired that way! I am just unable to fix anything." Such people are often resigned to their helpless state...feeling that they are just beyond teaching.

While I could concede that some people may be naturally gifted with a mind and body that lends itself to success working with their hands...and that some may have a leg up on others because of a background that trained them on how to be "handy"....I cannot buy into the belief that any person with a sound mind and body cannot be taught to work with their hands.

Though their efforts may be awkward and they may make a lot of mistakes...if they stumble forward they will more than likely learn something new from each project...and will become more proficient and confident.

So...while it may be easier to just pay someone else to do your projects for you...or to buy something new instead of fixing the old or making your own...don't forget to weigh the value of doing it yourself. Though it may take more time to do it yourself...and may or may not save money...realise that in not doing the project...you may be missing an opportunity to hone skills that may "prove a real blessing" to your families and fellow men...especially if you live in hard times. Go and get your hands dirty and calloused and work on that farmers tan.

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