Mike Rowe and Hard Work

I personally don’t watch all that much TV.  Even shows I actually enjoy, I still am just usually too busy to feel I can arrange the time to sit and watch something.  When I do watch though, one of my favorites is Mike Rowe.  Currently he is most well known for his Discovery Channel shows Dirty Jobs, and Deadliest Catch.  His dry humor, and matter-of-fact tone seem to keep me coming back for more.  One of the best things about his Dirty Jobs show is how it focuses on what really are the average jobs in life, the ones that most people seem to look down on for various reasons.I myself know that I have worked as hard as I can *not* to be in many of these jobs.  The ones that especially come to mind usually have to do with some form on waste material of some kind of animal.

However, I do have experience with this work.  My dad made sure my brother and I had plenty of experience getting our hands dirty, to earn our keep.  I remember from a very early age having to help with the woodcutting (and I mean pulling slash-pile logs from the forest, and cutting all the way down to the point we were burning it), all the way to helping manage an aviary we had at home (but that’s another story).  This “dirty” work was a whole lot harder physically than anything I do nowadays, and sure made me strive for a job that now only stretches my brain.  And yet now I find myself often longing to just go get my hands dirty again.

With that said, what brought me to this thought was a video I was passed today on twitter from the recent TED conference, where Mike Rowe spoke about the concept of hard work, and how we view these jobs in society. Anybody interested in having their family be prepared for any form of upcoming difficulty, from personal economic struggles such as job loss, to greater regional events, should take a look at this video, and ask themselves some hard questions. Who here really is willing to do the hard work necessary in an extended difficult situation? Weekend gardening isn’t nearly the same as subsistence farming. A weekend project is a whole lot easier than doing something when you have insufficient resources.

So please, cuddle up with a snack, this 20 minute video is well worth the watch.

And if you don’t love him after that, check out his statement on being an Eagle Scout.