Part of the human experience is wondering why we are here. Some people like to fancy the notion that they are a reincarnated spirit who perhaps will reappear, in another age, as a cat or some other kind of living species. If that were true, I’d come back as a giraffe, as I am used to being tall.

Beautiful Covered Bridge in NH speaks of “simpler times.”
photo by James Cummings

What Will You Be When You Grow Up?

Our values are instilled in us from an early age. What did I ask my grandson when he was six months old? I said, “What will you be when you grow up? a doctor, a lawyer, a bridge-builder? His eyes got wide and he giggled at the last option. Notice that grandma did not say – When you grow up will you be a ditch digger, a sewerage plant operator, or a hamburger flipper at a fast food restaurant. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with those jobs. Like anything, it takes hard work to do them well. It’s just that many of us, especially if we are educated ourselves, expect that our children will be professionals.

Professionalism

Now, why would anyone want to be a “professional” anything? Well, first of all, let’s consider the word “profession.” A profession is a chosen career path, and it is sometimes a life style. A professional is paid for his or her work (versus the definition of hobbyist). Some professionals are paid a lot for their work. To achieve that goal, a considerable amount of dedication to master a skill or a subject area is necessary, but the person also must be intent on making money and getting “ahead.”

Roles Better Defined Previously

In times past, people knew their place in society. Housewives stayed at home. The farmer was the farmer. The shopkeeper was the shopkeeper. The minister was the minister. The town’s poor lived at “the poor farm.” Often, people didn’t move from the town in which they were born. Their main point of socialization was local church activities, or an impromptu gathering at the country store. Everyone in town knew them, and they knew everyone.

These days, that is all changing. Now, Big Money moves in from out of state and builds mini-mansions, in the woods. The people who live in the fancy houses never enjoy them. In fact, they are hardly ever home. Instead, they are working, often south of New Hampshire, in Massachusetts, hustling for the buck to try to buy a few moments of tranquility.

Small Town Friendliness Still A Part of the Landscape

Today, we drove through a small town and I was taken back in time for a moment. I recalled when my family first moved to a small NH town, when I was eleven years old. The custom there was to stop whatever you were doing and wave to whomever was passing by in a car. Sometimes, it was a total stranger, but nonetheless, the person would wave back. Genuine country friendliness. Well, this afternoon, the two people we saw, as we drove along waved. One person was an old man; the other a teenager, giving me faith that this tradition continues in the smaller towns of New Hampshire.

Why Are We Here?

We are here to be pleasant. We are here to be helpful. We are here to forgive others. We are here to be human: to love, to hate, to laugh, to cry, to mourn, to resent, to regret, to be happy, to be kind, to give before we ask to “get.” We are here to live our lives as best we can, in the only manner we know how. We are here to set an example. We are here to share. We are here to be ALL that we are called to be. Why are we here? For the reasons just listed, and more.

Be well. Be happy. Be strong.

Goodness shall prevail.

Patricia Cummings

This entry was posted on Friday, October 26th, 2007 at 2:44 am and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.