I like to tinker
with Briggs and Stratton engines primarily but any small engine has always
intriqued me. I think how awesome the invention of the internal combustion
(and even steam) engine must have been to those who grew up during the
time that engines were coming into use. As with all technology, it
saddens me to see how people treat neat inventions as disposable and taking
it all for granted as the invention is used more and more. Worse
yet, the prevalent view that anyone who gets dirty tinkering with small
engines and their necessary petroleum blood is viewed or stereo-typed as
being a gear-head, a red-neck, or just plain dumb. Little do these
people realize that it is the gear heads of this world that keep transportation
running. Without them, you no longer have a car, airplane, trains,
bikes, and anything else you are used to traveling in. Nowadays,
if you have parts of a car in your yard, it is viewed as an "eye-sore."
What happened to the fascination we had years ago with mechanical things?
What happened to that sense of awe and accomplishment, that "pioneer" spirit
that our ancestors had, that "wanting do to it for yourself" attitude that
got us to where we are today? It has degenerated into a taking for
granted the things that make us who we are. The view that your money
makes you better than everyone else, the view that the gearheads of the
world are banished for they are no longer needed, the view that money gets
you what you want - not sheer hard work and day to day plodding toward
an invention that you know will help others. It's really really sad
that people choose to hate the mechanically inclined amongst us while they
drive in the very byproduct of earlier gear-heads' efforts. They
are hypocritical, intolerant, godless, hateful, spiteful, stereo-typing
tyrants who capitalize on the little guys accomplishments and then kick
him out of the picture.
If you don't like what you
see, then you leave - don't bully others around to suit yourself.
Anyway, eventually I'll have
a small engines section here so bear with me. I had to express my
views on this.
NQ