Once upon a time, my dad was the general manager of a manufacturing plant. He liked to walk the factory floor and observe what was going on. He told me didn’t believe in using a suggestion box. “It’s better to talk to people,” he said.
One day, Dad talked with a machinist who complained that he couldn’t do his work because that son-of-a-B, Joe, wasn’t doing his job. Dad asked the man if he knew Joe. When he said he didn’t, Dad took him to the next building and introduced them. The two shook hands. Dad then prompted the machinist to tell Joe about the problem. Joe listened and exclaimed that he had no idea materials weren’t getting there on time. The two then talked about how to fix the problem as my Dad looked on. In time, Joe and the machinist became friends. The problem was solved without orders, memos, micro-management, and additional stress.
Knowing someone often turns out to be the key to working together. My Dad taught me it’s unfair to blame or attack someone you don’t even know, at least until you have good reason to do so. Even then, be careful and try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Joe didn’t know about the problem. After he did, he helped fix it. The machinist didn’t know Joe. After he did, he learned Joe was helpful and trustworthy.
I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve seen a comment on the internet and thought, “this person doesn’t know him/her.” Some might argue, these are “only opinions,” but to me they are ill-informed opinions. Wiser people than I have said, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” But here we are, subjected to the “opinions” of those who don’t know what they’re talking about, and apparently don’t care that they don’t know what they’re talking about, much less the person they’re talking about.
It’s best to know someone before passing judgement. It’s also best to know something about those who have gone before us. I’ve tried to convey some of the things I’ve learned from my parents and mentors. I am also trying to share some pieces of my mind, to let people know who I am, what I think about, and what I believe. At best, I can only hint at bits and pieces, snapshots of a mind that is still struggling with basic questions and seeking to understand why we are here and what we ought to do. My stories are only shadows of thoughts I wish were clearer, but I’m sure the observant reader will find something of me between the lines of these stories.
In one of my favorite Star Trek time-travel adventures, Captain Picard bids farewell to Samuel Clemens: “I wish time would’ve allowed me to know you better.”
Clemens replies, “Well, you’ll just have to read my books. What I am is pretty much there.”
I think the same is true for many authors, even amateurs like me. If you want to know me, read what I’ve written. You still won’t know me, but you’ll have a much better idea what I am.
MurrayWorks 