Recently one of my assignments was to read "Shop Class as Soul Craft". While reading this book I realized just how much we as a society are dependent upon our technology and yet we don't fully understand most of the technology that we use. In fact, I would say that we very rarely understand the technology that we take for granted.
My printer has been refusing to pick up paper recently and I was getting very frustrated with it. I had tried everything that the printer's software said to do. I probably cleaned that machine four times. Finally I gave up and turned the thing around to open it up and try to figure out what it is that was wrong with my printer. This makes it sound like a great adventure, which I guess in away it was, even though there wasn't anything seriously wrong with printer.
This experience just kind of struck home with what we have been reading, because I was worried that if I got into the printer then I wouldn't be able to fix it, or if I had to take it very much apart I wouldn't be able o put it back together.
Taking this from Matthew Crawford, the author of "Shop Class as Soul Craft" I have found that I agree with his idea that everyone should learn a trade. As I say that, I must clarify that I am not a master of any trade myself, I am simply advocating that it is a good idea to have a skill in a field that deals with the concrete rather than the abstract.
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