Many have heard the term, progressive marketing. Basically it is a cunning plan to manufacture products in such a way as to insure their complete demise in the shortest time possible. Obviously this system keeps the wheels of commerce turning and lines the pockets of the producer as the poor old consumer is forced to replace specific items.
The only exception to this rule, as far as I can see, is the resilient, old fashioned push mower. They seem to go on forever unless one makes the fatal mistake of lending yours to a family member. ‘Sure’, you say, with a jovial demeanor, ‘Of course you can borrow my old push mower, it belonged to great Granddad you know’. Sad to say the next time you see this wonderful old relic (not Granddad) is when said family member appears in your driveway with the broken handle in one hand and what appears to be a sort of twisted metal art form, from Picasso’s neo surrealism period, in the other.
Progressiveness can be a double edged sword, it may be good, it could be bad.
Some years ago we managed a large holiday camp. There were a number of accommodation blocks all consisting of eight small cabins. There were extensive lawn areas that had to be regularly attacked with a tractor driven mower. While mowing one day a stone flew into a window in one of the cabins. It was a small crack, easily fixed, or so I thought. As I removed the broken pain I found that the frame was rotten. The whole job became a nightmare as I discovered dry rot in the sill and the surrounding weather boards. One rotten board led to another. In the end the whole back of the cabin block had to be repaired and re-built. So for the sake of a small crack in a tiny window an expensive progression had occurred.
This brings me, in a rather round about way to one of my pet hates. Counselors, not, I hasten to add, Town councilors (I’m saving them for another column) I’m talking about untrained and often unqualified, advisors who make it their business to pounce upon the smallest crack in someone’s life and proceed to delve into every nook and cranny until the poor soul is either totally bewildered or at the very least absolutely convinced that they were abused as a child. Sometimes these folk, having had their weatherboards of failure and self esteem ripped off, are incapable of re-building their lives and are filled with the proverbial ‘no more gaps’ (valium) and left to cope with life.
Out of the mouths of babes there is often wisdom, our son once made a profound statement, ‘Why does there have to be a reason for everything?’ A question that I now aim at (often self appointed) counselor’s who have not experienced life, or worse, are content to counsel other people while their own lives are a disaster. Sometimes it’s better to put up with a tiny crack in the window of our lives. A small irritation in an oyster shell can turn into a priceless gem. To progress means to proceed. For some it may be an uphill struggle and a helping hand will be necessary. Choose that hand carefully and leave the past where it belongs, in the past. I hope our progression in the new year is positive, every step, will be easier and a step in the right direction if we happily accept who we are, warts and all.
To end on a lighter note, Mr Michael Hill (golfer) decided to put a one hole fairway on his Arrowtown deer farm. Having done that and with his game much improved he determined that two holes would be more fun. It was, so he got rid of the deer, established a nine hole course which then progressed to an eighteen hole course which progressed to an exciting international tournament for the benefit of New Zealand… Now that’s what I call being progressive.