Comments on: Okabashi Meditation https://habitablezone.com/2015/05/01/okabashi-meditation/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:11:30 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/05/01/okabashi-meditation/#comment-32497 ER Sat, 02 May 2015 11:58:04 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=49505#comment-32497 My very first girlfriend (yes, we remained friends afterwards) became a salesman, selling agricultural adhesives, by the pound--the glues and tapes that are used to hold together the cardboard boxes and cartons that protect bulk agricultural produce. These boxes are also made and assembled by machines, and held together by glues and tapes, which have very carefully defined engineered properties. Its all very specialized. I was amazed how complex this field was, how many different types of adhesives there were, how many applications, and how cuttroat the competition was in that industry, and how innovative it was technically. She would drive around all over southern Florida, visiting the farms, and demonstrating her catalogue to the growers and packers. It took years to learn all that stuff, and a lot of work to keep up with new developments and products, how to supply new boxing machines, and all the other paraphernalia that went with the job. She was not educated for that work, she was a language major (spoke Spanish like a native)and had a teaching certificate, but in order to earn a decent living, she had to learn a different trade. So much for the value of a college degree. You learn every job on the job, from an old-timer who learned it that way. The requirement for a diploma is just to keep out the riff-raff. Its a way to discriminate with a clear conscience. My very first girlfriend (yes, we remained friends afterwards) became a salesman, selling agricultural adhesives, by the pound–the glues and tapes that are used to hold together the cardboard boxes and cartons that protect bulk agricultural produce. These boxes are also made and assembled by machines, and held together by glues and tapes, which have very carefully defined engineered properties. Its all very specialized.

I was amazed how complex this field was, how many different types of adhesives there were, how many applications, and how cuttroat the competition was in that industry, and how innovative it was technically. She would drive around all over southern Florida, visiting the farms, and demonstrating her catalogue to the growers and packers. It took years to learn all that stuff, and a lot of work to keep up with new developments and products, how to supply new boxing machines, and all the other paraphernalia that went with the job. She was not educated for that work, she was a language major (spoke Spanish like a native)and had a teaching certificate, but in order to earn a decent living, she had to learn a different trade.

So much for the value of a college degree. You learn every job on the job, from an old-timer who learned it that way. The requirement for a diploma is just to keep out the riff-raff. Its a way to discriminate with a clear conscience.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/05/01/okabashi-meditation/#comment-32496 bowser Sat, 02 May 2015 06:54:53 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=49505#comment-32496 Funny you should post that now. I've been thinking about packaging lately. Some things are packaged the same way they were 75 years ago. Cubed butter is what I noticed first. Still wrapped as it was when I was a kid. Band-Aids too, as you note. Kleenex, to fill out three which could be packaged many other ways. Interesting topic. Funny you should post that now. I’ve been thinking about packaging lately. Some things are packaged the same way they were 75 years ago.
Cubed butter is what I noticed first. Still wrapped as it was when I was a kid. Band-Aids too, as you note. Kleenex, to fill out three which could be packaged many other ways. Interesting topic.

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