Rites of Passage....

Posted : 21 Feb, 2010 04:25 AM

Most societies throughout history have had some sort of ritual or test that the young men had to go through before they could be considered men. In our American society, we have coddled our children to the point that most have no idea that we have done away with this most valuable of rites.



The reason it is so important is it is a public statement that this young man has what it takes to be responsible, raise a family and support them, lead his family down the right road.



When I was young, we used the oil field to determine if we had what it took. It was hot, hard, and dangerous work, but you buckled down and did what had to be done. One out of eleven made it in the oilfield and became a "hand". Tough odds, but it was not impossible. It was really all about not giving up. The more it hurt, the harder you pushed yourself. Finally, as you started moving up the ladder, you looked back at what you had achieved and knew, I can do anything.



Today there are few things that will give you the same challenge and satisfaction of a job well done. One of those things is crab fishing the Bearing Sea. The Discovery Channel has been running a TV show called The Deadliest Catch for several seasons now and everything about it reminded me of the oilfield. One of the main characters was the captain of a ship whose name was Phil Harris. He passed away at a young age recently and discovery is running the shows all day and night. If you have a chance, check out this show. See if it doesn't stir something inside of you as it did in me.



Blessings,



Leon

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