Those Who Went Before

Those Who Went Before

Mentors, trailblazers, leaders, role models, all titles for those who go before us and sometimes walk beside us or reach back to lift us up. As we’ve had the chance this week to interview an entrepreneur and hopefully learn from their struggles, triumphs, experiences, and wisdom gained, we have become better for it. What an almost insurmountable task it would be if we had to start from scratch with everything we did! I learned this at a pretty young age as I got my first real full-time job. It was as a structures mechanic for Rockwell, Intl. building the B1-B bomber. At age 18, I was amazed at the complexity of that machine. It was obvious that no one person in multiple lifetimes could come up with the science, workable design, technology, materials, tooling, and skills needed to build this plane. It was the result of centuries of men and women searching for knowledge and truth, experimenting, sharing their knowledge, and building on the knowledge of those who went before.

This week caused some reflection on what kind of link I am in this chain of human progress. Am I a strong link that learns from those who went before or do I reject their wisdom in favor of something else? Do I share my experiences in the hope that mankind (or at least those in my spheres of influence) can fast-track future progress? Am I a leader? Am I an example? Am I a mentor?

Picture above - My workstation at Rockwell Intl. B1-B Final assembly.
Image courtesy of - http://www.aviationspectator.com/files/images/B-1B-Lancer-120.jpg