Difficult Things

 

Doug and I enjoy tv programs about archeology and history and shows like Antiques Roadshow (UK original).

We wonder at the skill of our forebears, how complex items were made with their technology.  How inventive human beings have been over the years.

(And no, aliens did not do it.)

And I thought about human beings doing 'difficult' things.  Why?  What is in it for someone like me to tackle a 'difficult' jigsaw puzzle?

What will I have achieved when all the pieces are fitted in where they belong?  What purpose was served?

Well, there is the satisfaction of bringing order out of chaos.  The pretty picture is also a reward.

Much of the 21c technology is firmly rooted in an ancestor doing something difficult, then figuring out a way to do it with less difficulty.

I mean, who thought of designing a drawloom?  Why was it important to make a piece of equipment to make complex textiles easier, faster?  Then the dobby?  Then computer assisted looms?

Modern craftspeople continue to push the boundaries of their own crafts.  I did my little bit in the day, and I know people who are now continuing to explore, push, prod at the perceived limits.

Much of North American society is all about the quick 'n dirty.  The disposable.  Those few who persist in taking a different path, the more difficult path, continue to increase our knowledge.

We also watch science programs, like How the Universe Works.  At times we have a hard time wrapping our brain around something as obscure as astrophysics, but we are always amazed at where people are going with their thinking in terms of quantum physics and string theory (and I'm not talking about yarn, here.)

The older I get, the more tired I feel, the less inclined I am to tax my brain with difficult things.  But that doesn't mean I can't recognize innovation when I see it, and celebrate those who are doing it.

One of my friends constantly sets herself challenges and I am always amazed by what she does.  

As for myself?  I have no idea where I am going with my textile practice.  Right now it is enough to make simple fabrics, cloth that will provide service.  Hopefully I will be able to continue making them for some time to come.

Because I am still working on weaving down my stash.  And for now?  That is enough.  And my 'difficult' jigsaw puzzle will provide some challenge for now.  I continue to pick away at it a few minutes at a time.  So long as I continue to find a few pieces to fit in, I will keep at it.  Because difficult doesn't mean impossible.  It just means it might take a bit longer.