Woodcutter's Revival, page 6
Michaels’ philosophical challenges could make you rethink your position without causing you to feel like a fool. Stewart remembered his gramps saying, “Small people talk about people. Average people talk about things. Great people express ideas.”
By those standards, Michael was the embodiment of intellectual greatness. Stewart considered what an unfortunate situation it was for all this knowledge and wisdom to be locked in this cabin with no way of sharing it with mankind. Stewart hoped, later after some schooling and more life experiences, he would dedicate himself to expressing the growth and insight he had experienced while on this mountain. Maybe he would write.
“Michael, do you ever think about death?”
“I would rather think about life. We all will face death. There is no sense in reducing the quality of life worrying about the inevitable.”
“Do you ever regret about the time you have been isolated and away from,” Stewart fumbled for words, “life?”
“By life, do you mean the way most people live?”
“Yeah, I guess so. That, and being around others with whom to share your experience.”
“I feel I have drawn closer to life. When you are around other people, you need to think their thoughts and believe their ideas as your own. You accept the way most people do things as ‘normal.’ Normalcy is dictated by trends in style, convenience, preference or necessity.
“No, I do not feel the years I have spent up here have been wasted. To find what life is really about we must decide what is important. It is very difficult to prioritize your values in the flowing and changing current of society. If you have a chance to get away from the attainment of wealth, getting ahead and being successful for long enough, you realize these goals were not that important. When you realize what is really important, you have a changed perspective.”
“What is really important?” inquired Stewart.
“As you grow older, you find only things that really matter are those things you cannot accumulate, but conversely the things nobody can take from you. The only way I can explain is through a story. Have you ever ridden on a train?”
“Yes, we used to ride the train to visit relatives back east. We would get on one day, ride for about two days and arrive at the station a few hours from their house.”
Michael smiled and continued, “Most people ride the train just like they live life and do about anything else. They just get on and later, they are where they think they are supposed to be. Those tracks did not just grow there in the wilderness. When the first track came through, I was about your age. There was a need for ties for the roadways to support the tracks. The railroad used to contract the work so they wouldn’t have to buy the wood and cut it. Instead, local people with stands of timber on their property would cut the lumber, saw it to dimension and deliver it to the proper location along the track constructions sites.
“Farming was progressing well enough and we had a stand of trees on the place, so I was able to make some spending money by selling ties to the railroad. That was where I first learned the lesson – everything of value has a price, but not all things that are high priced have value.
“During construction, trestles had to be built over the river ways and connecting mountain passes. Tunnels had to be blasted through solid rock. The work was dangerous. Conditions were rugged and bleak. Several workers lost their lives. Most of them aged more than if they stayed in the comfort of their homes. Those who were on the road the longest were away from family and loved ones.
“Someone got the idea to import Chinese workers as they were skilled in the use of black powder. The railroad people had to convince the workers that the benefits of life in America outweighed the sacrifice and risk. That is for the workers who were brought here on their own volition and legally. Nobody knows how many workers were kidnapped and forced into labor. It probably helped that the language barrier obscured these facts.
“We do know that overall, there were an estimated one thousand-two hundred Chinese workers who lost their lives on the railroad construction. Some days, they blasted through the mountains and only gained eight inches of progress. Some days they tunneled through snow to continue working. I was told of an incident when the snow tunnel collapsed and buried the workers. The tunnel was cleared and the bodies that were not in the way of the track were not recovered until the snow began to melt in the spring. The workers would work extra hours, when they had them, recovering the bodies because the Chinese man wanted to be buried in his home soil.
“Most of the American workers who started on some phase of the project only saw a segment completed. Very few of the workers were able to go the whole distance. The progress of those who came later was built upon the efforts of the earlier workers.
“Now people can travel smoothly and effortlessly, at about six times the speed of a fast horse. As the horse and rider wear down quickly, the train moves on, seemingly, almost effortlessly. In fact, you can even get rested while riding on the train. Very few of the people who ride on those narrow ribbons of steel realize the sacrifice made by the individuals building the track. Now they carry cargo, medicine, supplies, books, teachers, judges, preachers, and everyone in search of a dream. The rails reunite families and have as many good purposes as you can imagine.
“That is the way life is. We are each given only a short segment of the total continuum. Some have it better than others. Some put their time into better use. If we worry or fret about the section we didn’t get, or grumble about the one we got, our short segments will be over and we will not have even realized it. That is the way my exile has been. Sure, I have missed a lot of things I would have experienced down there, but I would not trade the things I have gained. Besides, an experience is never wasted if you learn from it, and no lessons are free of cost.
“We gain from others. I guess I am riding the tracks you built,” observed Stewart.
“That’s the point I was making, not so much that you have ridden on my tracks as much as, we all benefit from the wisdom and the technological progress of others and have responsibility to pass on what we have learned.”
Stewart was amazed as he thought back to his original intentions in initiating the conversation. He only wondered how he would ever be able to continue Michael’s track or fuel his own locomotive so others could ride it the furthest.
After a few moments of thought, Michael added, “Our lost years are only restored as we cause others to benefit from them. Have you ever read the prophet Joel?”
Stewart responded, “I have, but I really couldn’t tell you what I learned from it.”
“There is a passage which says, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning, and rend your hearts and not your garments…then I will make up to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust.’
“The swarming locusts are all those burdens which seem to overwhelm us. The creeping locusts are the thoughts we hold in our minds and never know how they got so entrenched there. They are the thoughts that keep us awake at night or the thoughts that cause our hearts to jump or our stomachs to sour when we awaken. They are fears and worries. The stripping locusts are the problems that arise after we think we cannot carry another burden. Finally, the gnawing locusts are the concerns which take our joy and cause us to be melancholy.
“Do you notice all these are feelings or perceptions? They are not the actual problems or dangers, themselves, only the way we perceive them. After we get ourselves straightened out, the problems and the risks remain, but we see them differently and feel as if we have help with them.
“Let me give you an illustration. Our spiritual life is like cutting wood. We can go into the forest and cut wood alone or with the help of others. We then drag or haul the wood to the wood lot and split a stack. The wood burns best when it has been seasoned. There is only one way to season the wood. That is time.”
“Only after all the effort can we warm ourselves with our fire. We were warmed by the efforts of cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking, not to mention building physical strength and stamina. But we are comforted, with little effort, along with comforting others if we put our efforts into maintaining the fire.
“A good fire results from time and preparation. Fellowship is like fire. You have the most to contribute by the hours you have spent in preparation – like cutting the wood – the reading, praying, meditating, writing. You can then help others by removing the dead ashes and stirring the live embers occasionally.
“Michael, you have definitely stirred my fires. How can I help others?”
“That is something we all have to discover for ourselves. We were given talents and desire to use to the fullest. We will benefit most from them as we find a means to allow others to benefit.”
Michael thought a little more and added, “I have read through the Good Book several times. One principal mentioned over and over again is justice, mercy and defending the rights of the defenseless. When I was down there, attending church regularly, I can never remember a preacher even mentioning these concepts. That is what restoration is all about and making up for the years the locust have stripped. It is revealing the wrong, reviving the wronged.”
“Do you think living like you describe increases the number years of your life?”
“Yes, but I have discovered that it is not as important how we live as why we live.”
Stewart looked dazed with all the information he had just encountered, he was not sure if he would remember it all. He knew if he forgot the words, the thoughts and motivation would remain with him. “Look, Michael, the sun is coming up.”
Chapter Seven
RAYMOND AND
LEADERSHIP
Raymond had been the foreman-in-training for a week. Mr. Thomas had cautioned him that the miners would be resentful, envious and possibly hostile toward a flatlander coming in and stepping right into a leadership role. He had warned, “They might feel as if they have put more time in and deserved to be considered for a leadership position.”
Raymond was a little surprised how well the miners accepted him in his role. Possibly, Mr. Thomas put more weight into the leadership position than did the miners, or maybe, he was not as attuned to their thoughts as he imagined. Maybe Raymond was just a likable guy. Maybe the miners put a lot of weight into the fact that Raymond acted with a calm and cool head in the cave-in.
In reality, were these men potentially placing their health, safety and very lives into the hands of anybody who was a leader, either designated by the ownership or not? It could have been that the miners perceived that nobody, regardless of title was a boss in Mr. Thomas’ organization except Mr. Thomas.
Mr. Thomas instructed Raymond to work along-side the other miners for a while. His first supervisory task was to verify the working time of the miners and watch to make sure they were meeting quotas. Raymond, in his naïveté, thought any progress into those rocky caverns was tremendous. The miners knew how much conditions could vary between solid rock that had formed into one huge mass and the veins which were loosely packed rubble between two mammoth shelves. The silver was more difficult to break out of the solid rock and more likely to be found in the looser rubble. They had to break and blast through the solid masses to get to the veins.
The miners knew what Raymond was assigned to do. He was surprised how much they began to discuss working conditions and compensation with him. He actually began to feel as if he could make a difference. He could be a voice to Mr. Thomas so their concerns could be heard by ownership.
The miners had seen others come and go while attempting to “grow” into leadership roles. They knew Raymond would be asked to repeat everything he heard them mention. The miners were aware that the quickest way to express their concerns to Mr. Thomas was to allow Raymond to overhear them. They realized Raymond would repeat their concerns, but were unaware of his sincere motives for doing so.
They also knew how to “snow” the inexperienced foreman by loading some extra rubble into the carts before they passed by his scrutiny. They were not dishonest. They believed in giving a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. They also knew how to survive with an unreasonable boss who might measure the wrong criteria for progress, assign capricious and arbitrary standards, and would not listen to reason.
They knew Mr. Thomas was more inclined to measure performance in terms of demonstrating honor toward him than actual rocks moved or silver extracted. He also tended to try to find underlings who would show him outward signs of honor and who would expect the same in return from the other miners.
Although Raymond only knew Mr. Peters for a short period of time, he was aware he had some huge shoes to fill. Raymond often, in filling the time of tedium and boredom with some mental stimulation, compared himself to Mr. Peters. He knew Mr. Peters was one-of-a-kind, because he truly cared for the well being of the men and their families. Although Mr. Peters never attempted to offer opposition in the form of confrontation or public debate, Mr. Thomas was careful to avoid any open verbal encounters with Mr. Peters.
The miners had trusted Mr. Peters, as they knew he was genuine. Possibly, if he had attempted to resist Mr. Thomas’ bull-headed ways in front of the miners, they would have suspected that he was posturing his resistance to gain their respect and trust. He would also have not lasted long if he attempted to make a habit of confronting Mr. Thomas in public. The miners missed Mr. Peters. Although Mr. Thomas would never admit it, his organization was better off with Mr. Peters than without him. Mr. Peters did not have to demand work from the miners. He knew how to encourage them even with the paltry amount they earned in actual pay or benefits.
With the sudden departure of Mr. Peters, Mr. Thomas seized on the chance to use the incident to accomplish some major organizational changes. With the appointment of Raymond, he had some duplicity of purpose. He felt as if he had an ace up his sleeve with a new leader, as he could introduce the “new method,” train the new foreman and make the miners more dependent upon the foreman to succeed. As the mines were becoming less and less productive and new methods of mining were becoming common practice, this would be the time to shake the miners’ comfort zone and allow the new leader to make a major contribution in the new system.
Mr. Thomas asked Raymond to come over for dinner on Sunday. They would take some time after dinner to discuss Raymond’s progress and help with a further course of action. There was no way he would use company time or sacrifice his own evenings to have a management meeting with Raymond.
Raymond thought they would be meeting in the dining room at the inn. He was pleasantly surprised when he learned they would be dining in the Thomas home. Surely, Victoria would be home on a Sunday afternoon, not that the thought of her concerned him in any way.
“Come in Raymond. Father, I mean Mr. Thomas is in the living room.”
When Raymond arrived, Mr. Thomas was sitting in the living room, comfortably in his huge leather winged-back chair, reading and smoking his pipe. The fireplace was burning, giving the smell of mountain aspen.
Victoria was wearing a lace apron over her usual elegant attire. She looked slightly out of place in her domestic role. It might have been that Raymond usually saw women wearing more casual clothing to do work around the house. It could have been that Raymond had only seen her as a tough, clear-headed business woman – her father’s prodigy. He could not say he minded the unexpected and pleasant change. The coziness and aromas of the pipe tobacco, the wood burning and the smell of baked ham and sweet potatoes almost lulled Raymond into a trance.
Although Raymond was beginning to feel a little familiar around the Thomases he could not yet say he felt comfortable. He could not decide if the discomfort was from Mr. Thomas’ seemingly cold demeanor, or his feelings he knew he could not hide from Victoria. He was happy to admit to himself, that it was a combination of both perceptions.
“Hello, Raymond,” said Mr. Thomas, without getting up or offering his hand to shake. “How has your first week gone?”
“Father, business talk can wait until after dinner.”
“Dinner sure smells good, Miss Victoria.” Raymond added to break the tension.
“Raymond, you can call me Victoria.”
Raymond attempted to make some small talk, without much assistance from Mr. Thomas, while they waited for dinner. He could not think of much to say and wished he could be helping in the kitchen, not that he enjoyed kitchen work. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, which could have been due to the hunger, the aromas or the tension, Victoria announced, “Dinner is served.”
Raymond could not remember how long it had been since he had an honest-to-goodness home cooked meal. Oh, the inn was good, but cooking in the volume which they had to serve each day did something to the food. Trying to keep the food warm for serving in shifts had also limited the appeal of the food. This meal was cooling on the table directly from the oven. Victoria had done justice to the fixings. After dinner she served an apple pie from the apples that had recently come by rail. “If this was my last meal, I would die a happy man!”
“Oh, thank you, Raymond, I enjoyed fixing it.”
With the taste of the meal, the smell of coffee and hearing her pronounce, “Raymond,” he found himself in another trance. The trance was interrupted abruptly by Mr. Thomas, “Now, Raymond, if Miss Victoria will permit, we can discuss business over coffee.”
“The miners are accepting me better than I thought they would.”
“That is good. For now, I want you to proceed as you are, accepting more responsibility as you progress. Pretty soon we will have you supervising and you won’t have to do the actual work.”
“You will still want me to do mining work won’t you?”
“Not really. You will need to gradually isolate yourself from them. They will take you for granted if you remain one of the boys. If they have a problem with that you can always threaten their jobs. That will have some punch when they believe you will do it.”
