The Craftsman & Materials

When a Craftsman creates something, much of the result of his work is dependant upon his selection of materials. If he is a carpenter, and wants to create some fine piece, he chooses the finest piece of the best wood that fits the desired application. If he's lucky he finds that with a shape that is close to what he is making. He will cut, carve, abrade and otherwise shape it until it reaches the shape and finish he desires.

If he makes swords, he will choose the material that is best for that, something hard, tough and yet malleable. This too, must have the characteristics that will enable the end product to be as much like what is desired as possible. Rock is hard, but it is brittle. Lead is malleable, but it is soft. Wood is tough, but too soft, also. Steel is almost perfect for the job, but must be treated in certain ways, beat into shape and requires a lot of work.

My point I'm trying to make is that the end product despite the characteristics added by the craftsman, is dependant upon the material as much as the craftsman's vision of the desired outcome and lots of work.

When you're crafting the person that you are, even with new techniques learned from others, or discovered by yourself, depends upon your material, and upon your vision of what is desired. People can be thought of as a composite material, with characteristics like that of wood, rock or steel among others. Part of the process of creating the best person, that one could craft is to know what is desired. Hard on the outside is a good thing, it keeps a shape and as little change of the finished product is desirable. Too hard outside makes for a brittle product and nobody wants to be chipped away at. Soft outside just takes a beating too easily.

Munitions manufacturers know that layering is good engineering and protects the soft insides (human bodies.) So if we engineer the person, it may make sense to layer our protective armor. Steel on the outside would be hard, tough, somewhat heat resistant and could even be polished to a gleaming finish but is subject to corrosion, so we need to protect it from corrosion. Beneath that we might need something that would be tough, yet soft enough to cushion great impact. And beneath everything, and I'm ignoring other desirable layers, we want the core of what we are, our heart, the part if damaged that may cause death. Without even something this soft, without a heart, we would be hollow shells subject to collapse.

How do you build the person you desire? Carefully, with lots of work and thought and with a heart, if you want to live up to your potential for as long as you can.