guff

A Fantastic Lack of Conviction

I find there’s two distinctly different ways to handle problems in ones life, during the day to day… well, handling of them. The first is to go straight at anything like a gangbuster, full of determination, zeal, and with an absolute certainty you’ll know what’s right and what’s wrong in any matter, and how best to take care of either, or both. The second is a much simpler method; it’s really not much more than a way of taking things on with little faith in the outcome, all the while dealing with them without greatly taxing ones self.

(There is a third, requiring of the person a full analysis of an issue, reliance on others for input of various opinions and experiences, a detailed risk management assessment of the situation, full development and proposal of several options for facilitation towards a resolution, and then implementation of one of those options chosen after a cautious and lengthy process of evaluation and review. However, few people I’m aware of handle common life events this way, and as far as I know only educators and government officials prefer it in the work environment)

Having lived through both perspectives, I find a slightly greater affinity to the latter of these two problem solving world views. Some of you may think of it as a loafer’s philosophy, or perhaps a strategy aimed specifically at avoiding problem solving altogether and dedicated to the goal of finding ways to slip though life’s cracks without having to think much about anything. However, I see it as quite the opposite.

Allow me to expound.

Sometimes the best tool for the job is the dedicated one. If you need to pound a nail, then a hammer is what you’re going to want to pick up. Life, though, rarely makes it clear at the outset exactly what tool you’re going to need for a particular task. Now you might say that here’s an excellent example of the benefit in having a tool chest, as it allows one to carry around an assortment of tools, and hence be prepared for any contingency. That only means to me that you missed the mark on my analogy. It’s the very rare individual who can be the tool chest. Most of us are merely a single tool (seriously), or can provide at most a few functions. We can prepare for the requirements of the hammer, and perhaps the chisel as well, but if a nut and bolt are thrown in our way, we’re screwed. Even in large operations there’s often a lack of one or another precision piece.

Then there’s that second mind set I mentioned, which here is represented by the general purpose tool. The Swiss Army Knife of people, you could say. Just name it by an old handle: jack of all trades. It may not be something one can wield with a great deal of dexterity and speed, but it allows a lot of leeway in accomplishing repairs. As a fuzzy tool it doesn’t have to focus on one thing or dedicate itself to being the best at any specific activity. It can sit idle, biding its time with make work, awaiting the point when a looser, more freeform attack is called for. And it will always come calling. You of the first and single-minded order, feel free to smirk and belittle what little serious talents it has. Even I do at times (though I sometimes consider myself one). But when a cross-section of disciplines is demanded, it’ll be the first out of the pocket.

There’s nothing like being a master of nothing when it comes to getting things done.