The secret of life.

[Grayfox54]

A father used to say to his children when they were young: —When you all reach the age of 12 I will tell you the secret of life. One day when the oldest turned 12, he anxiously asked his father what was the secret of life. The father replied that he was going to tell him, but that he should not reveal it to his brothers.

—The secret of life is this: The cow does not give milk. "What are you saying?" Asked the boy incredulously. —As you hear it, son: The cow does not give milk, you have to milk it. You have to get up at 4 in the morning, go to the field, walk through the corral full of manure, tie the tail, hobble the legs of the cow, sit on the stool, place the bucket and do the work yourself.

That is the secret of life, the cow does not give milk. You milk her or you don't get milk. There is this generation that thinks that cows GIVE milk. That things are automatic and free: their mentality is that if "I wish, I ask..... I obtain."

"They have been accustomed to get whatever they want the easy way...But no, life is not a matter of wishing, asking and obtaining. The things that one receives are the effort of what one does. Happiness is the result of effort. Lack of effort creates frustration."

So, share with your children from a young age the secret of life, so they don't grow up with the mentality that the government, their parents, or their cute little faces is going to give them everything they need in life.

Remember

"Cows don't give milk; you have to work for it."

[Snaveba]

Words of Wisdom 

[10-Ring]

This generation thinks milk comes from the store. 

[Links2k]

5 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

 1. That things are automatic and free: their mentality is that if "I wish, I ask..... I obtain."

2. The things that one receives are the effort of what one does. Happiness is the result of effort. Lack of effort creates frustration."

3. "Cows don't give milk; you have to work for it."

I totally agree with you on #2 & #3. On #1 I feel that young people want to define a new path to their individual happiness. A path that doesn’t require  them breaking their backs and body trying to achieve the American dream. 
 

There is no shame in the often times tough, but fun upbringing many of us older individuals enjoyed/endured. That being said, I admire the fact that many young people know that they can have enjoyable and fulfilling lives without enduring calloused hands and broken backs. Twenty or thirty years from now the same young people that we criticize will probably be talking about how easy the youth of that time have it. 
 

We’re just getting old and times change. That’s a good thing. 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Links2k

[ArmyBrat61]

Nothing in this life is free, somebody had to pay for it.

[Darrell]

8 hours ago, Links2k said:

I admire the fact that many young people know that they can have enjoyable and fulfilling lives without enduring calloused hands and broken backs.

Some can, sure. But the work that causes callouses and sore backs still must be done. Not everyone can make a living conceptualizing or striking a keyboard.

I spent most of my career in a Navy shipyard, and during the last quarter of that career the yard had to start sending new employees to school to teach them how to use basic tools like screwdrivers and wrenches. We old timers came in with those kinds of skills learned from childhood.  I also noticed a marked difference, generally speaking, in the work ethic of younger new-hires as compared with people nearing the end of their careers.

[Trekbike]

Below is a link to a Bill Whittle Afterburner video he did back in 2014 about the "occupy wallstreet" group at the time.     This thread reminded me of the video.     Well worth a watch since it explains why the decline of work ethic the last number of years.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfA6SbzRAdU

[Links2k]

11 hours ago, Darrell said:

Some can, sure. But the work that causes callouses and sore backs still must be done. Not everyone can make a living conceptualizing or striking a keyboard.

I spent most of my career in a Navy shipyard, and during the last quarter of that career the yard had to start sending new employees to school to teach them how to use basic tools like screwdrivers and wrenches. We old timers came in with those kinds of skills learned from childhood.  I also noticed a marked difference, generally speaking, in the work ethic of younger new-hires as compared with people nearing the end of their careers.

That sounds like a HR issue. Who hires a person with no skills for that kind work unless you intend to provide intensive training as it seems your employer did.

I’m not knocking having to work hard. The pandemic has shown that we need essential blue collar workers.  My point is that things change, and not everyone has to break their back to be successful. 
 

Before I retired, I despised that mindset. There’s nothing wrong with giving 100% effort at your job ( that’s the contract that we enter into when we take a job), but insinuating that younger people are less than, because the world has changed and it hasn’t kicked them in the behind like it did some of us doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable producers. 

One thing about having a trade skill, most of the time the jobs pay well. My point is that some young people want no part of that, and it hasn’t turned them into slackers. I never want my kids to have to pick up anything heavier than a pen at work. I’ve already done the heavy lifting for them. 
 

My kids didn’t get off easy. They worked at restaurants, pushed baskets and cleaned toilets at Kroger.  Those experiences taught them that they would rather smart as opposed to working hard. So far I’ve produced a journalist, an aspiring professor and a medical coder. I couldn’t be more proud that for the moment they won’t have to break themselves physically to be proven worthy and deserving providers of milk. 

[gregintenn]

That is some very sound advice, Grayfox.

Farm labor provides some mighty fine life lessons. It is a shame all kids don’t get the privilege of growing up on a farm.

[Grayfox54]

You know, we're partly to blame for kids who don't want or know how to work. Most of my/our generation grew up having to work hard and earn what we got. So when we had kids, we didn't want them to have to go through that. In turn, we made it easy for them. Unfortunately, many parents went too far. They spoiled their kids plumb rotten. Gave them everything they wanted and asked nothing in return. These are the problem workers we have today. 

And now the liberals have convinced many young people that they are underpaid. So their attitude is "I don't get paid enough to care."  They do just enough to get by and nothing more. Don't feel like working today? No problem, just call in. Some don't even bother to do that. They have no work ethic at all because it was never taught to them. 

I admit, I spoiled my sons to some extent. But they were also required to do chores around the house and save for that special thing they may have wanted. They also understood that I worked hard to provide for them. I'm proud to say  they both grew up to be fine men. 

 

 

 

 

[gregintenn]

8 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

You know, we're partly to blame for kids who don't want or know how to work. Most of my/our generation grew up having to work hard and earn what we got. So when we had kids, we didn't want them to have to go through that. In turn, we made it easy for them. Unfortunately, many parents went too far. They spoiled their kids plumb rotten. Gave them everything they wanted and asked nothing in return. These are the problem workers we have today. 

And now the liberals have convinced many young people that they are underpaid. So their attitude is "I don't get paid enough to care."  They do just enough to get by and nothing more. Don't feel like working today? No problem, just call in. Some don't even bother to do that. They have no work ethic at all because it was never taught to them. 

I admit, I spoiled my sons to some extent. But they were also required to do chores around the house and save for that special thing they may have wanted. They also understood that I worked hard to provide for them. I'm proud to say  they both grew up to be fine men. 

 

 

 

 

I guess I'm the debbil. My kids worked when they were old enough.

[deerslayer]

I routinely work with people half my age.  Some of them are fine, productive employees, but the work ethic of the average 25 year old is a couple steps below other generations.  Probably every generation said something to the effect of “these kids don’t have what it takes” but many young folks nowadays don’t even want to have what it takes.  I don’t feel like I got my butt kicked, but I’ve worked all kinds of blue collar jobs and wanted my own money without help.  That mindset is now nonexistent.  Not only do younger people often expect help, some thrive on feeling like a victim.  
 

On the other hand, I see and hear young folks getting bashed about not being willing to do the career type jobs that others have done for years.  One reason may be because the job isn’t as lucrative.  Sure, it may pay the same or more than what it used to, but now there are fewer benefits, no bonuses the old heads used to get, no retirement, etc.  Pensions are going away in the private sector and still only exist mainly in government or union jobs.  So I can’t blame some millennials or gen Zs not wanting to work stupid hours that older folks used to or be faithful to a company only to get less in return.  

[Guest]

On 5/3/2022 at 5:44 PM, 10-Ring said:

This generation thinks milk comes from the store. 

Now the pandemic has taught them that their groceries (including the milk the cow “gave” them), get picked by some minimum wage stock clerk and carried out to them curbside. In another 15 years there will be people in “Kroger” vests in their kitchen cooking it for them…

[Erik88]

6 minutes ago, deerslayer said:

Some of them are fine, productive employees, but the work ethic of the average 25 year old is a couple steps below other generations.

It might depend on the industry but this has not been my experience working in an office job for 11 years now. Many of the younger people I worked with were eager to get promoted up the ranks and really put out a pretty good effort. At least most did. There were some people in their 20's that were horrible. Others were promoted to management spots before they hit 30. 

At the same time, we had a lot of people in their 40-50's that were so burned out by corporate bull that they were doing the bare minimum to simply keep their job. I don't blame them. 

Overall, I haven't seen any proof one generation at work has been worse than the other. It's been a mixed bag. 

13 minutes ago, deerslayer said:

.  So I can’t blame some millennials or gen Zs not wanting to work stupid hours that older folks used to or be faithful to a company only to get less in return

Well said. I think some young people just aren't willing to kill themselves for a corporation that doesn't care about them at all. That doesn't make them lazy in my opinion. 

[deerslayer]

1 hour ago, Erik88 said:

 Overall, I haven't seen any proof one generation at work has been worse than the other. It's been a mixed bag. 

I don’t know man, now we have people getting up and walking out during orientation on day one.  They are never very old.  This is a new experience for me.  

[10-Ring]

1 hour ago, Erik88 said:

Overall, I haven't seen any proof one generation at work has been worse than the other. It's been a mixed bag. 

My previous post was somewhat tongue in cheek.  I have a neighbor (curmudgeon) who prefaces everything he says with something to the effect of "Those idiots from your generation..." (Mind you some of my peers that I grew up with have grown children, so it's not like I became an adult last week).  I just looked at him one day and said "why did your generation raise so many worthless kids?" that was almost a year ago.  He hasn't spoken to me since.  I'm good with that.  Truth is, I know people who are retirement age that never contributed anything noteworthy to society, and I know people who are not yet 30 who have built successful businesses, provided jobs for others, and contribute very substantial amounts of money to worthy causes.  I kind of wish this mentality that people have more or less worth because of what decade they were born in would just go away. 

[Ronald_55]

53 minutes ago, deerslayer said:

I don’t know man, now we have people getting up and walking out during orientation on day one.  They are never very old.  This is a new experience for me.  

We are seeing lots not even show up for orientation. Some make it through, but barely make it a week. Orientation is basically just filling out paperwork and learning how to clock in and out. 

[Quavodus]

1 hour ago, Ronald_55 said:

We are seeing lots not even show up for orientation. Some make it through, but barely make it a week. Orientation is basically just filling out paperwork and learning how to clock in and out. 

I see this at my place of work too. A lot don't last very long at all. Maybe 1 out of 10 lasts a month. I agree that the policy of most lines working 19 days in a row, then off 2 days. is a pain. I've been doing that for almost 6 years now. But, they're starting employees out now full time. I didn't get that.

[Ronald_55]

22 minutes ago, Quavodus said:

I see this at my place of work too. A lot don't last very long at all. Maybe 1 out of 10 lasts a month. I agree that the policy of most lines working 19 days in a row, then off 2 days. is a pain. I've been doing that for almost 6 years now. But, they're starting employees out now full time. I didn't get that.

Where my wife works operators are given a 4th grade math test as step 1. Use to be 80+ of 100 passed the test. Now 40 maybe do. Then they go through basic interviews.  Maybe 10 are chosen from those interviews. Most of the interview is just to eliminate the standard things like constant job hoppers, obvious substance issues, and clearly bad attitudes. Not a hard interviews to pass if you want to. This is for a place that is a very desirable employer. They pay well and if you want OT you can probably get all you want. They do have shutdowns that require long (15-16 hour) days for a couple weeks at a time, but that is not the norm. Happens once or twice a year. I guess people don't care enough to try. Asking for basic math skills in a production environment is not a stretch. 

[Links2k]

9 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I guess I'm the debbil. My kids worked when they were old enough.

Yep, and had chores. 

[Snaveba]

I’ve tried (probably not hard enough) to not spoil my daughter. However she is an only child and I admit I’ve been wrapped around her finger since the day she was born. 
 

She has been a baby sitter or pet sitter for a while, but a was fairly proud when she decided she wanted her first real job. She found the opening, set up the interview and all but got the job before saying anything to us. 

[gun sane]

The wife gave me an argument last night because I wasn't working.  

[Alleycat72]

7 hours ago, Ronald_55 said:

We are seeing lots not even show up for orientation. Some make it through, but barely make it a week. Orientation is basically just filling out paperwork and learning how to clock in and out. 

We have 5 guys coming at the end of June. I get them the 1st day. The older guys are already cracking up about me getting them all at once. My day is called the death march. They will have been through 2 weeks of indoctrination and orientation by that point. One guy is someone that knows me out side of work. I've warned him that I'm not remotely the same person at work that I am outside of work. He's not to discuss it with my family. My first day job is to scare the S$%t out of them so they don't die in the first week. The guys get them for about 3 days after that. They are much easier on them. Getting them into the swing of things. I get them after that for a while, but I'm much easier on them at this point.  This is when I recommend that we keep or drop them. It's very important that they question and or refuse to do some of the things I ask them to do at this point. I will try and get them to do things they know are dangerous and potentially life ending. They will be perfectly safe because it's all set up beforehand, but they need to be able think for themselves and question someone in authority. This works incredibly well. Plus I usually get to pick the name they'll be known by for the next 20 or so years. I hope they all make it, but I'm going to lean on them pretty hard. 

[DasVidaniya]

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

 

 

 

 

Oops, I'm sorry.  I thought you said what was best in life.

 

My bad.

[Alleycat72]

I don't vacation with my wife. 

I've been told I'm doing it wrong by people who've been divorced 3 times.