JUST A WINDING WATCH

 

    I thought the world was perfect when much younger than I am today. Of course, I was naïve and didn't understand how it worked.  

        

         During my first job cleaning tables at a fast food place, I was told that a workplace is like a winding watch:  Every job position serves a purpose for the establishment to function properly and effectively, from the janitor to the head of the company.    Yet, regarding a watch, we just focus on the hands, the ones telling us the seconds, minutes, and hours passing by while ignoring all the little pieces that make it possible.  

        

    That was how things work in the world, leaders moving around a system while millions of citizens do their part to support them so that when we look up to the leaders, we feel safe knowing they are each doing their job. But, unfortunately, that is not the way it is anymore.   We, the citizens, no longer work together nor have faith in the system. We no longer trust that what they are telling us is genuine, accurate, or helpful, and they no longer see us as necessities of moving forward but rather inconveniences in the way of progress.   

Sure, some of us want that digital watch that tells us everything from the time of day, the weather, or whatever you ask it., and only requires a few pieces for it to work. Still, others want the simplicity of just knowing what time of day it is; anything else, they can look elsewhere. They can turn on the TV for the weather, look at their map for directions or call a friend, on the phone, for advice.  

Christopher Marlow once said, “what nourishes me destroys me.”  I believe convenience is destroying us all.    Perhaps, we are heading back to relying on the sundial, a device that needs no mechanics for it to work, just the sun and a stick.   However, the day has to be clear and bright for it to work, which is something we no longer have. The human then created a device that required many pieces, it was a work of art, and all it did was tell us one thing, the time, and it worked perfectly.