Trade Secrets

This will probably only be entertaining to engineers, but a friend of mine sent it to me. I thought it described my profession perfectly.

Engineering is the art of modeling materials we do not wholly understand, into shapes we cannot precisely analyze, so as to withstand forces we cannot properly assess, in such a way that the public has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance.

A. R. Dykes, British Institute Of Structural Engineers, 1976

Comments

MM said…
That is fantastic!!! Not an engineer, but I love it. Have you ever read Rand's Fountainhead?
5:38 AM
Flawed And Disorderly said…
Ha ha! Yikes!
9:11 AM
Tom said…
Yup, I have read the Fountainhead. Not really a fan of Rand's. She's... how do I say this nicely... reading her stuff feels too much like reading undergraduate philosophy with a story and characters added for flavor. Which, I guess, wouldn't bug me so much but that philosophy, which relies on the genius of man to overcome life's obstacles in a very hard-nosed, loveless way, kinda depresses me.

A friend of mine, also an engineer, recommended it. There's something about her fiercely independent, no-nonesense approach to life that seems to appeal to people in my profession.
9:56 AM
MM said…
Yes. As an overly emotional kind of person, it was an icy blow to my feel goody lifestyle. That's why I liked it-- a painful lesson. But you are right about the depressing nature of her work... yes...that's the part of my unbelieving family I want to run from.

Incidentally, it's going better with my uncle. I'm listening. I think he knows there's a God but he can't bring himself to admit it since he's been so turned off by Christians. Haven't most of us?

I hesitate to call myself one because of it, but Cannot bring myself to deny my Lord.

I know part of the problem is people like me who claim a close encounter with him, yet blame him for what we don't like.If God is distant, it's so much easier to just relegate him to an obscure definition...

Talk about confusing. I just stole your line I think.
9:37 PM
Tom said…
It's good to hear that things are going well with your uncle. If he really is thinking about God, there's a good chance you'll be able to share your faith in a way that won't feel like an attack because he'll be ready to listen. For that, I recommend prayer. I can't remember being asked about my faith when I haven't prayed for the opportunity to share it, but the vast majority of times I've prayed for that opportunity, it's been given to me. It's not a prayer I make lightly anymore.

As for the trouble with labels, the term Christian is pretty misunderstood nowadays. What it really means is "Christ like," that is, people who call themselves Christians are trying to be like Christ. That's something you should be proud to proclaim. It's also important to remember that it's a goal, not a state of being. I want to be like Christ, but most of the time I'm not. So I live my life in such a way that each day brings me closer to Him.

And, yeah, it's pretty much always confusing.
10:51 AM
Alastair said…
Tom

love the definition - uncannily similar to the definition of a theologian in ministry!
8:36 AM
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