You don't know what you don't know

That's the saga of the human story really. We don't know anything when we show up, and then we have to learn and learn and learn through examples, mistakes, and close calls with destiny. Every time we venture into a new area where danger is close, learning kicks into high gear. Your brain is quickly and distinctly recording what is going right and what is going wrong. White paper on a bench in a sterile-ish room followed by a sharp needle and arm pain? That sucked! I don't care if we didn't get mumps or tetanus, doctors offices will now give you anxiety. Tore an engine apart and put it back together per the YouTube video and it actually ran? That guy is a genius we'll return to for info, and by golly are we capable of cutting out that expensive middleman mechanic! Speaking of mechanics, that's what sort of set this thing off in my head. So let's dive in.

If you think about it, people mostly get paid money to do things that take some learning. Oddly enough, it's tough to get machine learning to do even the most basic human tasks. Flipping a hamburger, asking a customer what they want, giving the fries a quick check to see if they're actually cooked crispy... You'd be surprised what simple things humans can do that are worth relatively low wages that are beyond all but extremely advanced and expensive machines. Even more so when you get into diagnosing car troubles. Yeah, the computer throws a code, but figuring out what is actually causing the code and having the discernment to know how to go about fixing it in the most appropriate way for the customer is quite an undertaking. Maybe there's something wrong and no warning lights at all! Then, there are rules and barriers to fixing things. Take aircraft for example. You may be rich and own your own aircraft, hangar, and tools. Heck, you're a certified pilot that is up to date and proficient in flying. But if she's a certified bird, the FAA isn't going to let you inspect it for airworthiness yourself. Certainly not dig into the engine for a rebuild.

So goes the battle. It would be great if the people that checked the boxes to become certified mechanics, doctors, and elected officials were out for the best of the people they are there to serve. Perhaps I've read too many stories over the years and become jaded, but I would suggest finding people who are genuinely interested in giving you the best results without sending a missile through your budgeting sheet are the exception rather than the rule. Mechanics are there to sell their services on a margin to pay everyone's salary, the light bill, and make a profit besides. Doctors? I've met some amazing ones that have their hearts dedicated to helping people and are wide open to finding a balance of how you eat, exist, and use medical technology to live the healthiest you possibly can. But then we have all those either espousing dried seaweed or narcotics as silver bullets. And we don't hardly have to dig into politics. Use all your budget this year, else it will be reduced next year!! Couple trillion in debt later, we can't even comprehend the horrific hole we're in. If the tax base can't afford their home and groceries, they may consider skipping the grossly misspent tax bill instead. That's not Hollywood hyperbole, that's just world history, most recently exemplified by a little salt water tea party and a reign of terror across the pond in France. Take and take until the people are bereft of even their hope, and things get ugly.

The advent of the information universe at our fingertips has led to the rise of the DIY'er. YouTube tells you how to fix your yard, cut your own hair, fix your own car, and upgrade your own home. Naturally, one must have some sense of quality and reasonable expectations in order to go about this in a successful fashion. But for those that can digest and act out information that hasn't been intentionally corrupted, there isn't much you can't accomplish. Soon, you are thinking big and dangerous thoughts about the structure of society. Why we design our cars the way we do, why we use certain cheap materials in building homes, and why oh why we let the companies that manufacture drugs tell us those drugs are the key to our health. Hell, if I were to get really imaginative, I could think of an Orwellian world where not taking a vaccine would be seen as unpatriotic, or even an act of violence upon your fellow man! We'd fire you and blackball you socially if you didn't trumpet your medical treatment history on your social profiles. Thank God nothing like that would ever happen in the good old US of A.

There I go again. Housing prices to despairing of your life, time constraints to despairing of your ability to even breathe correctly, and a couple crooked specialists leading to the downfall of civilization.

But if you think about it, how you do anything is how you do everything. What you do in secret, good or bad, will eventually be broadcast from the mountaintops. If you can cheat someone out of a few grand, you'll soon find yourself perfectly fine with bankrupting an entire nation. If you're happy getting government assistance, you become mighty friendly with the idea of taking away the bad rich peoples' money. Again, at risk of committing hyperbole for the 100th time, I would argue that the person that simply scoffs at these propositions is in danger of not giving their own nature a careful enough screening to find where they could become quite capable of things they're certain they would never consider. In my estimation, one need only crack a history book. Even the Bible itself. God shows up in plagues upon your enemies and a literal pillar of fire to lead you out of slavery, and in a short while you're melting earrings into a golden bovine to expose yourself to. Or sacrificing children to make it rain. "Ancient barbarianism!", you say. Certainly! A crude people hoping killing children would provide rain for crops to keep the whole tribe from starving. Completely unjustifiable, unlike killing them in the name of "medical autonomy" and freedom of sexual expression. Heaven forbid the absent father doesn't send a child support check and you expend your youth in the pursuit of raising a decent human being whose effect on the world will be felt for generations thanks to your selfless sacrifice.

Again, I digress. I certainly welcome a philosophical and intelligent rebuttal to any and all claims I make, even if they come barbed. But screaming talking points from a PAC isn't sufficient any longer. In the Information Age, we now all know. But it's so much information, we risk getting lost in it and never mastering any of it. I certainly suffer from this in my own life. I get by fixing the cars, sealing up the drafty house, and trailing along on a shoestring budget on every doctor's office visit. I enjoy a myriad of videos on physical training, car care, and curb appeal for your home. I dive into articles on hunting, flying, and raising children. I even have returned to the good old ink on dried sheets of wood pulp to consider big ideas about the economy and societal organization itself. But I'll never be an economist, a pastor, or perhaps a professional anything! I'm simply trying to not be stupid and do right by my family while watching out for the precious and hard won mammon that comes from the hands of my labor and merchandizing.

Perhaps in a time where we all know a little about a lot, it is in our interest to do our best to work for our information rather than taking it spoon fed from a curated feed. Fighting ignorance is almost as difficult as getting those running shoes on and forcing a couple miles out of your tired toes. In my learning so far, nothing good and worthy comes easily. Nor does one need to go looking for a fight when life offers plenty of difficulty on even the "easiest" setting, if such a thing exists. Everyone has a thorn in their life they'd be all too glad to have removed.

In practical terms, when I find honest and helpful people that are charging "fair" rates, I do my best to use them when I can afford it and exclaim their praises to others. I attempt to do the same in my professional endeavors. If my prices are "high," you can count on the fact that to the best of my knowledge, I am offering a superior service or product. And I am not holding a gun of grimy sales speak to your head to get it done. The Golden Rule is a good 'un, and finds fairly wide appeal. We certainly all fail to live up to it 100% of the time, but often our efforts are recognized. Even if that recognition doesn't seem to be sufficient or timely, I have yet to starve or fail to provide shelter and transport to my charges.

May this find you well, carefully filtering knowledge. ~C