Yesterday I
sold a set of snowshoes to a retired State Trooper in northern Maine. It dawned on me that I was seeing a
generational divide that goes further than old people aren’t techno-savvy.
I was seeing
a gap in basic values between the old and the young. I had had those snowshoes advertised for two
years, and no one showed interest. This was
because wooden snowshoes are large and heavy.
You can buy aluminum snowshoes that are small and lightweight.
But it goes
beyond that: My snowshoes were made by a person. Someone shaped the wood, steamed
it until pliable, formed it on a jig, then someone with skill laced them with
leather thongs, varnished them, and put their stamp on them.
I bought the
shoes in 1976 - fifty years ago. I have
revarnished them numerous times. I stored them carefully when not in use. The value of these shoes, to me, was more
than just their use. I cared about them
and took care of them.
Who cares
about a factory-bent oblong piece of aluminum with a plastic sheet
filling?
I have a
Silva compass that is sixty years old, a pocket knife that is ageless…
What does a
young person have today that they value so highly they will still have it fifty
years from now? Their cell phone?
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COMMENT: Ben Franklin said, "I imagine a man must have a good deal of vanity who believes, and a good deal of boldness who affirms, that all doctrines he holds are true, and all he rejects are false."