About Rkt Sci vs. D Dig.
The title “Life Isn’t Rocket Science, But It Ain’t Ditch Digging Either” is an ironic comparison between the metaphor for a cerebral lifestyle and a physical labor-intensive lifestyle.
The rocket science metaphor usually means that the practitioner is really really smart. It is sort of a “Woo look at that IQ!” The ditch digging metaphor usually means that the man with the shovel “ain’t too smart!”
I have worked in both of those skill sets. In each of them, I worked with people who were smarter than I was. How can that be? In reality, “smart” is measured by outcome. In rocket science, the outcome is largely predicted by IQ tests. In ditch digging, as in many other physical activities, outcome is measured by payoff.
Sometimes outcome can become turbulent and polluted. One pollutant found in most lifestyles is Ego. You can watch the evening news and see that the Washington DC lifestyle has been polluted by ego.
You can hear the polluting components of ego when children bicker. My dad’s bigger than your dad! My moms prettier than your mom! He’s not so strong! You’re not so smart! Need we say more?
Life is a river that flows between the banks of rocket science on the left and ditch digging on the right. Most of the turbulence in the river of life is generated by ego. When life is most turbulent it is because the passage between the banks has been narrowed by obstructions created by egos. Sometimes people try to build bridges across the troubled waters of life rather than attacking the obstacles put there by egos. On the whole I think it’s better to work at widening the river so that life flows more freely.
In 2008 Jay Conrad Levinson encouraged me to write the book “Life Isn’t Rocket Science, But It Ain’t Ditch Digging Either”. At last my ego is allowing me to risk that task.