Week 19
Tools
May 11, 2011
I kinda like power tools. Big ones. With sharp things that make a lot of racket. I don't think I'm alone in my affinity for these noise-making, wood-and-metal churning beasts of burden. In fact, I'd venture to guess that most men (and quite a few women for that matter) like the feeling of powering through a cumbersome task with the help of tools. From table-saws and power washers to lawn-mowers and blow-torches and everything in-between, tools can be both incredibly useful and terribly destructive.
The image above was taken of my buddy's table-saw as I prepared to venture into a cabinet-building extravaganza. Studying this wheel of very sharp and powerful teeth as it sat there waiting for me to put it to work, I couldn't help but think about how incredibly laborious what I was about to do would be if I were to put to the same task just a century or so ago.
Do we lose a sense of craftmanship by relying on these implements of efficiency? Perhaps. While I tend to think we just raise the bar to what we can accomplish, I admit it probably takes a little more dedication and commitment not to lose that craftsmanship when it's easy to think we can rely on the tool, forgetting that craftsmanship lies in the craftsman (or craftswoman).
The cynic would say that people have just gotten lazy as technology has become more advanced. You can see that in a myriad of industries and trades, from woodworking to photography. BUT, you can also see brilliance taken to a new level when the person wielding these increasingly sophisticated instruments of productivity puts their mind to using the tool in their hands to achieve something more, something beyond what was once possible.
Like anything in this world, the merits and faults lie in the person with whom decisions and choices are made. If you choose to go the lazy route, eventually that will show itself no matter what fancy contraption you have at your disposal. If you choose to pursue excellence and steward your gifts and resources well, that too will show in time, whether or not you are using the latest and greatest invention.
image taken with Canon 5DMII, 24-70 2.8L lens, 1/2500 sec @f2.8, ISO 400
The image above was taken of my buddy's table-saw as I prepared to venture into a cabinet-building extravaganza. Studying this wheel of very sharp and powerful teeth as it sat there waiting for me to put it to work, I couldn't help but think about how incredibly laborious what I was about to do would be if I were to put to the same task just a century or so ago.
Do we lose a sense of craftmanship by relying on these implements of efficiency? Perhaps. While I tend to think we just raise the bar to what we can accomplish, I admit it probably takes a little more dedication and commitment not to lose that craftsmanship when it's easy to think we can rely on the tool, forgetting that craftsmanship lies in the craftsman (or craftswoman).
The cynic would say that people have just gotten lazy as technology has become more advanced. You can see that in a myriad of industries and trades, from woodworking to photography. BUT, you can also see brilliance taken to a new level when the person wielding these increasingly sophisticated instruments of productivity puts their mind to using the tool in their hands to achieve something more, something beyond what was once possible.
Like anything in this world, the merits and faults lie in the person with whom decisions and choices are made. If you choose to go the lazy route, eventually that will show itself no matter what fancy contraption you have at your disposal. If you choose to pursue excellence and steward your gifts and resources well, that too will show in time, whether or not you are using the latest and greatest invention.
image taken with Canon 5DMII, 24-70 2.8L lens, 1/2500 sec @f2.8, ISO 400
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