My faith has been restored.

Swiss Man · **on:** March 20, 2009, 08:15:49 PM

For those of you who know me you can skip this link http://www.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=161&Itemid=35.

Today like many many days before, I will pull up on someone on the side of the road and offer to assist them.

Now normally I don't mind if it is a woman or a young lady but I have trouble with prefectly able man not knowing how to change a tire or make the smallest repair.

Today my faith was restored.

Driving down the interstate I saw a man on the side of the road picking up something (his van was parked some twenty foot away) unable to get over to him, I flipped at the next exit and came back to him.

Getting out of my van he asked me if I had any zip ties and I told him I had a roll of mechanics wire, "That will do." Handing him the roll and my Spirit he told me the problem.

"The exhaust pipe busted at the joint and I'm going to attach this peice of metal to it." Sounded like a good plan.

Having the van already jacked up he crawled under and started fiddling with the metal. Couple minuted passed, he crawled out took a big rock and starting hammering the metal into shape crawled under again, out again to hammer some more.

By this time I was impressed with his almost "caveman ability" to solve problems after several more peices of wire he was done. By this time his wife got out of the van and I told her I am impressed with your husbands ability.

With pride in her eyes she told me "That is why we have five cars all paid off, he keeps them going." "He is MacGyver."
Of course that struck a chord with me.

I mentioned that I am amazed that there are so many guys that don't know how to do simple things like that, she told me "my husband and you are from the same age, today kids don't know that stuff anymore."

Once again my faith was restored until I get some gangster wannbe with the attitude the world owes him.

Take charge of the situation, step up to the plate; there is no shame in failure but there is in not trying.

To quote GERBER "Fend for yourself."

Magic Bus · **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2009, 08:27:57 PM

Yep, practical skills and commonsense are in short supply these days. We live in a throwaway society too, which doesen't exactly help. Free thinking and problem solving isn't encouraged either. We used to get work experience lads from a local school in my last job and to a man they could not even use a ruler or a paintbrush. Very worrying.

Craig · **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2009, 09:25:17 PM

Great story

. I love to hear about creative improvisation like that. From the link, it sounds like you have an interesting job

.

Poncho65 · **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2009, 09:40:19 PM

Cool thanks for the story SM

I am not that old only 28 but my generation shames me sometimes

Alot of them are lazy and always expect something in return for nothing it is truly getting worse as each generation passes

There are good ppl in every generation but it is getting farther and fewer in each

What will we do in another 20 or 30 years

Nikos · **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2009, 09:55:48 PM

Quote from: Poncho65 on March 20, 2009, 09:40:19 PM

What will we do in another 20 or 30 years

Get older and grumpier?

Mike, Lord of the Spammers! · **Reply #5 on:** March 20, 2009, 09:59:53 PM

Good man

, it's shame self reliance is becoming a bit of a lost art $:-\$

Poncho65 · **Reply #6 on:** March 20, 2009, 10:14:56 PM

Quote from: noth on March 20, 2009, 09:55:48 PM

Quote from: Poncho65 on March 20, 2009, 09:40:19 PM
What will we do in another 20 or 30 years

Get older and grumpier?

Well I can't get much grumpier so just older I guess

duckman1975 · **Reply #7 on:** March 20, 2009, 11:55:13 PM

Necessity breeds creativity, my father's generation are really creative when it comes to repairing things. A big part of it is because back then in our rural areas parts and stuffs are hard to come by. I remembered him fixing a bucket using melted hard plastic from junk.
Wish guys like him and you would pass the knowledge to the younger generations

Mike · **Reply #8 on:** March 21, 2009, 12:11:15 AM

No pictures?

Mike

Nikos · **Reply #9 on:** March 21, 2009, 12:30:06 AM

Quote from: duckman1975 on March 20, 2009, 11:55:13 PM

Necessity breeds creativity, my father's generation are really creative when it comes to repairing things. A big part of it is because back then in our rural areas parts and stuffs are hard to come by. I remembered him fixing a bucket using melted hard plastic from junk.
Wish guys like him and you would pass the knowledge to the younger generations

I tend to believe it's not so much a matter of knowledge as a matter of character and lifestyle. As MB said, this is a throwaway society we live in and that probably also includes many of us here (how many would venture repairing their broken MTs instead of filing a warranty claim...). Anyway, it's fortunate that there are at least a few technically inclined people around, although they may approach critical mass soon... $:-\$

gafftapegreenia · **Reply #10 on:** March 21, 2009, 03:42:20 AM

At 20 I take pride in being one of the exceptions to "kids these days"

Swiss Man · **Reply #11 on:** March 21, 2009, 01:28:20 PM

Quote from: gafftapegreenia on March 21, 2009, 03:42:20 AM

At 20 I take pride in being one of the exceptions to "kids these days"

I

you sir, Keep on whipping out those MTs and SAKs and maybe your friends will catch the bug. I forgot to mention in the orginal story that while he was walking down the shoulder he was collecting stuff for his repair.

There he found two peices of metal (old tail pipe) about 12" of nylon rope and a pull tie and three large rocks.

One rock he used as a hammer (told that part) the other two where flat and he use them for under the van to help prop up his work.

When he got down he put anything back in his van minus the hammering rock for later use. I pulled off about 9' of mechanics wire and gave it to him.

Maybe I should have mentioned all this in the orginal story.

nuphoria · **Reply #12 on:** March 21, 2009, 01:56:26 PM

Brilliant - good to hear that someone is getting it right.

I try my damnedest not to throw things out or rely on others for help all the time.
Being female, I'm also proud to say that I'm a qualified chippy, can decorate my own house, do basic plumbing and electrics,have no problem changing a tyre and own a collection of power tools. It's great knowing that you CAN try doing things and just going for it. I really enjoy the problem solving aspect of a challenge too.

jock1 · **Reply #13 on:** March 21, 2009, 02:32:05 PM

. It's great knowing that you CAN try doing things and just going for it. I really enjoy the problem solving aspect of a challenge too.
[/quote]
That's the attitude I am trying to instill into the wee man with some success he has his own set of tools and frequently uses them to good effect and surprisingly I am not alone pal of SWMBO has a ten year old who has a basic understanding of mechanics and can carry out routine maintenance on a tractor !.I was so impressed I gave him my leatherman l.e.d I got with my Fuse and got him his first SAK for Christmas

Swiss Man · **Reply #14 on:** March 21, 2009, 04:43:16 PM

"I was so impressed I gave him my leatherman l.e.d I got with my Fuse and got him his first SAK for Christmas"

See the SAK sickness isn't a gene but it is spread by others that are effected.

My son now is 16 and he has been around SAKs and tools almost all his life, I think a right of passage for a SAK owner (or any knife owner) is the accidential slipping of ones blood.

DEF has more then enough experience for all of us.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #15 on:** March 21, 2009, 05:32:21 PM

It's funny you should mention that, and while I by no means endorse "recreational" bloodletting, I do feel that allowing a kid to get his or her hands dirty and occasionally bloody is very important. My wife is a perfect example- she can not stand the sight of blood, and the slightest bit of pain or discomfort sends her screaming. While I don't wish her any harm, I do wish she'd be a bit more adult about it, especially since our puppy is large, fast and strong, with very sharp teeth. She doesn't realize how badly she can bite when she's playing, and Kim got "tagged" the other night. She was in the bathroom crying, running her bloody thumb under the tap. If that happened while I was at work I have little doubt that my wife would be bled white, lying on the floor unconscious with the tap running when I came home!

Last week I got tagged pretty good, and as my fingers were all bloody I asked for her help in getting cleaned up and she wouldn't come near the bathroom.

Not that I am complaining about my wife, just that this kind of thing can happen when a kid doesn't experience these kinds of things growing up. You need to develop, at some point, a respect for pain and blood so you can better deal with it, because the world doesn't stop for your boo boo!

Def