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September 20th 04, 05:40 PM

PAMNO (N2EY) wrote in message ...
In article , Mike Coslo
writes:

It is the joy of the shared task.

That's part of it.

Here's another part that didn't get into the previous post:

In modern industrial society, most of us don't produce "something"
that is lasting and tangible. As in "I built that!" Most people's jobs
are as part of a much larger team, where they perform a specific
limited function.

Of course some people (like us engineers) do get to say "We/I built
that", or in the case of EMT/health care people "We/I saved that
person's life/health/delivered that baby" etc. But most of modern life
is highly specialized and regulated, or limited by time/space/money
considerations. Heck, Americans aren't even cooking as much as they
used to (more and more meals are either eaten in restaurants, are
take-out, or are precooked heat-em-ups).

So it's understandable that many people are attracted to nonvocational
activities where they "do for themselves". Mike's hockey team may
never play at the level of the NHL or even the minor-league pro hockey
teams - but that isn't the point. Veggies grown in a home garden, or
fish you catch yourself may cost more than just buying them in the
supermarket, when you take into account all the costs - but that isn't
the point either.

And even an elaborate ham station may not meet what some people call
"professional standards" - but that isn't the point at all.

So when someone compares what we hams do to what "professionals" do,
or says we are "stuck in the past" or "using 1930s standards" - they
really don't get the point at all.

73 de Jim, N2EY