This video shows some things that Cuban’s have made to keep a certain quality of life. Certainly, if there was no industry, it could be easy to lay down and let life degrade….but here there was a sort of stubborness, creativity, and ingenuity that fixed, renewed, and created what they needed. It’s something that makes me keenly aware of all the stuff that America throws out, and gives me some more respect for the tinkering my dad does. (Though it should be said that I find the things people can do with a little bit of metal and plastic)
Also, as I look across my laptop at a full bag of empty pop cans, I remember this plane I saw when I was younger…it was made of pop cans..and I remember wondering how it was made and captivated by the craftiness of it. What could you make from a pop can, or a few things laying around? Plastic bags can be made into fuel…a metal bucket and a little cement can be made into a place to melt metal. Drift wood could be made into a cool looking bench. A spare piece of rain gutter can be turned to a nifty little shelf for bathroom reading. Old clothes into new blankets. Coffee grounds and broken up charcoal makes some of the best dirt….
I once gathered turkey feathers, had them sent to a woman, and got back a dreamcatcher. And well, alright, a model plane made out of popcans isn’t an engine made out of a few spare magnets and salvaged copper wiring, but it captures my interest all the same. It is hard to explain the admiration and envy I have for those who can tinker with a few bits of stuff normal people would throw away…when most of my talent is in writing and cooking.
And then there’s bartering. It might seem off topic, but with everyone having spare stuff laying around, and homegrown skills in manipulating what they have, there must have been constant bartering with both materials and services. Even with just the skills that I have, I have often bartered with food. And this combination of fixing, making, and bartering are things I point to in order to illustrate what I mean when I tell people I have absolute faith in people’s ability to get by, to make a new market or niche for themselves in some other way. People find ways to get what they need…in this way I say, stubborness and creativity are the driving forces of humanity. It creates society, and it creates culture. Only through sheer stubborness and creativity do I think humans have come so far and survived an age of almost endless ice. Or, even in modern times, an entire city can be destroyed…but with a little work from everyone, can come back with new technology, food (maybe even new social roles and expectations)…all because of what happened, and in a way to make it less devastating should it happen again.
And so, we should not knock someone down for what they know or don’t know. Everyone has skills that in some situation can be made useful, even if it’s just being stronger than average. I am not mathematically nor am I socially smart…but I know and have faith in my ability to pick up new skills or knowledge, should I grab an interest in it or have need of it. So beyond cooking and writing, that is my main skill…This is touched on more in another post, where I talk about finding your core and elaborate on my own ideas of what makes me. And maybe we should all be asking ourselves those kind of questions. Asking friends and family. There are many pathways through life, not just the ones shown to us. I think we could gather the courage to carve our own pathways as long as we know about ourselves and do the proper research. (Like how I found out about Bio-chemistry)
As a side note: I feel like I should mention that because of America’s political climate, I wasn’t sure what to post…as no matter what my beliefs are, I don’t want to politically charge this blog. I don’t think it’d serve it’s purpose if it pushed away more people than it needs to. This blog’s first and foremost purpose is to inspire, empower, and educate anyone willing to listen. (There will always be haters, I’m not delusional about that.)
The Garden of Inspiration 