"ARREGLO MÁQUINAS DE COSER A DOMICILIO"

          A couple of days ago, I saw an old man in front of my house wearing a kind of construction vest. It was orange and had a white square in its back portraying the black and big message of: “ARREGLO MÁQUINAS DE COSER A DOMICILIO” (On-site sewing machines’ repairs). Unfortunately, Argentinean people in general, or at least most of Argentineans that I know, are not used to seeing people offering work, less likely, in a way that is unusual for our century.

I imagine that offering work and also asking for work used to be something very noble, decent and absolutely current a couple of years ago; I imagine people actually working all day long to bring the bacon home... I also imagine people having the skills to do different things that are useful for everyday life, more precisely, people holding the knowledge of installing and repairing pipes; people skilled in woodwork, people repairing machinery, people owning shops, and a long etcetera that makes me think in the different abilities that people used to live on... Something that is not that common nowadays...

Nowadays, we are living in a century that is characterized by a drastic change in society. There is a wide part of society that does not want to work and wants the government to pay them just because. And as you may imagine, having thing repaired is the last thing they may think about... There is also a wide part of society that does work but, generally work in schools, companies, hospitals, banks, etc. They generally have neither the will nor the knowledge to properly work with simple things like water losses, gas losses, electricity grids or even machines like sewing machines, irons or stoves. Those simple things tend to cause several problems to people but they prefer to buy new ones because it is just a tiny minority the one who is willing to work with those things in an honest and decent way. A bad panorama to our old man, isn’t it?

     The first thing I felt when I saw him walking by the street was admiration but then I instantly felt pity. How many of us have sewing machines? And, how many of us take time to have things repaired? Most of us just hire tailors to mend our clothes and buy new things instead of having the old ones repaired... On the other hand, it is true to say that whenever people actually want to have their things repaired, it turns into a difficult task to find skilled and willing people. Finding tailors, plumbers, carpenters, etc. is not easy and, whenever people find them, they generally lack the will of working properly. That is why I have this ambiguous feeling towards this man. I really admire him because of his willingness and predisposition shown just by his decision of walking all around the neighbourhood wearing the orange vest – the one I described at the very beginning of this entry-. However, I pity him because I deeply think that society has changed a lot. Nowadays we don’t have time for anything, including having things repaired and we tend not to trust so easily in people since most of them have cheated on us or we tend to label them as being absolutely lazy.    

   

    So, how should we act? Who is to blame? What is wrong with society? Why so many changes? Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer... I have been with this questions going around my head the whole week... And as if these thoughts weren’t enough, my uneasiness was magnified when Ailín showed my an article about an obese woman from Wigan, UK who lives on benefits and asks the government to give her more money because with the money the government gives her, she can only afford junk food. Eating only junk food has made her a 25 stone woman and this overweight is entailing different health problems... hence, she is asking the government to give her even more money to eat healthier and go to the gym. But that is not the only thing she is asking, she wants the government to give her money per each pound she lose... Can you believe it??? Who would you blame? This woman, the government or both? And what about her children? I didn’t tell you but she is a mother of two children, a boy and a girl. What are they going to learn?

     Here I leave you some articles about this woman, Christina Briggs just in case you want to read more...

http://www.doyoueven.com/2014/09/its-not-easy-being-overweight-obese-mother-on-government-benefits-demands-more-money-to-help-her-diet/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2768442/It-s-not-easy-overweight-benefits-says-25-stone-mother-two-wants-MORE-money-government-help-diet.html#ixzz3EPLyvREY

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2770704/You-CAN-lose-weight-budget-How-fit-eat-healthily-without-spending-fortune.html

Before leaving you I want you to keep thinking about this...  Why is it that most people don’t want to work? Why is it that we get amazed whenever we see someone offering his/her work?  

Thanks for reading me, have a nice long weekend! Enjoy! Don’t let responsibilities overwhelm you! But try to reflect upon this, upon our society and upon the conception of working and earning an income.

 Andy