Hammer or a Nail?
Listening to a little Paul Simon this morning, I was struck by the lyric "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail." This little line got me thinking about which I would rather be. Being a bit of a contrarian, I started out with the steadfast understanding that, I, in fact, would rather be a nail than a hammer...then I just had to figure out a way to justify this.
Of course, the easiest way to make this justification is to say that the nail, metaphorically, is an element of constructive stability. That is to say, by simply being itself, and doing what it is intended to do, then the nail is serving a useful and constructive role within a larger whole. I like to think of myself in those terms...at least in thinking of myself in relationship to the larger whole. I would like to think that my intrinsic qualities make me a useful and productive member of the community.
The problem, howeveris that with this mindset you never really have to think about improving yourself. The idea of intrinsic qualities being useful breeds complacency...after all, what need does a nail have for learning a new skill?
Further, the hammer, by it's very nature is imperative to placing elements within a larger construct in such a way so that they become something larger than themselves. The hammer places the nail into the wood, and by doing so, it is a more global player on the shape of the final product. The nail, while serving a useful function, has a limited scope. The hammer, on the other hand, has a much larger impact on the final product because it places all of the individual elements into place. I also like to think of myself in these terms. I like to have control over shaping the larger picture through a careful wielding of materials and resources.
Of course, you can point out that I haven't even mentioned the human conscience that wields both of these tools. My response would be to point out that for the purposes of this discussion placing the human conscience into the frame only adds a layer to the cake. The only real difference between the human and the hammer is the conscious control of the action...in this case, of course you want to be the human. But in reality, the human that wields the hammer is not the ultimate arbiter either...he or she always has someone else to answer to, a foreman, a spouse, a building inspector. In this sense, you can wander through the maze of personnel and responsibility until the exercise loses all meaning. I'd rather keep it simple, and talk about the relationship between the hammer and the nail.
So the question still remains, which would I rather be...the hammer or the nail? My contrarian impulses are screaming to find a way to be the nail, and to be happy with it, but my intellect and emotion simply say that Paul Simon got it right. I think I'd rather be the hammer. Dammit...now my contrarian isn't happy...
Listening to a little Paul Simon this morning, I was struck by the lyric "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail." This little line got me thinking about which I would rather be. Being a bit of a contrarian, I started out with the steadfast understanding that, I, in fact, would rather be a nail than a hammer...then I just had to figure out a way to justify this.
Of course, the easiest way to make this justification is to say that the nail, metaphorically, is an element of constructive stability. That is to say, by simply being itself, and doing what it is intended to do, then the nail is serving a useful and constructive role within a larger whole. I like to think of myself in those terms...at least in thinking of myself in relationship to the larger whole. I would like to think that my intrinsic qualities make me a useful and productive member of the community.
The problem, howeveris that with this mindset you never really have to think about improving yourself. The idea of intrinsic qualities being useful breeds complacency...after all, what need does a nail have for learning a new skill?
Further, the hammer, by it's very nature is imperative to placing elements within a larger construct in such a way so that they become something larger than themselves. The hammer places the nail into the wood, and by doing so, it is a more global player on the shape of the final product. The nail, while serving a useful function, has a limited scope. The hammer, on the other hand, has a much larger impact on the final product because it places all of the individual elements into place. I also like to think of myself in these terms. I like to have control over shaping the larger picture through a careful wielding of materials and resources.
Of course, you can point out that I haven't even mentioned the human conscience that wields both of these tools. My response would be to point out that for the purposes of this discussion placing the human conscience into the frame only adds a layer to the cake. The only real difference between the human and the hammer is the conscious control of the action...in this case, of course you want to be the human. But in reality, the human that wields the hammer is not the ultimate arbiter either...he or she always has someone else to answer to, a foreman, a spouse, a building inspector. In this sense, you can wander through the maze of personnel and responsibility until the exercise loses all meaning. I'd rather keep it simple, and talk about the relationship between the hammer and the nail.
So the question still remains, which would I rather be...the hammer or the nail? My contrarian impulses are screaming to find a way to be the nail, and to be happy with it, but my intellect and emotion simply say that Paul Simon got it right. I think I'd rather be the hammer. Dammit...now my contrarian isn't happy...
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