----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2022 1:27
AM
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Unbuilt
kits
I might be a bit late commenting however I was pondering
about my late brother before I answered this. I’ll get back to him
shortly.
Brian
Carlson – I thought gave a logical reply and I’ll put a second on his
comment.
Tom Madden made a
very good point with “Gollum, muttering about "My preciousssss.."”
Illogical however I
think also rather fact based. So how can that be?
My old Pastor
(don’t worry) gave a sermon one time in which he argued that much unhappiness
in the world
largely occurs when we try to apply logic to illogical
situations (like those found in everyday life.) And that applying logic to an
illogical situation is a fool’s errand, as you will never find a
satisfying result.
I would offer
that we are not purchasing resin cars,
we are purchasing (or at least
putting a down payment) on a dream or emotion. And them attempting to apply
logic to these
emotions that caused us to purchase the
kits.
I got
married well before my twin brother got married. And after that some
differences formed.
When we would get into the Sunshine room on Thursday
eve in those years when Martin and Trish were cranking them
out, my
brother Brian would walk out with an armload, and then come back Friday for
more. And if Ted had some and
Al had some and Pierre had some, well
he bought them also.
Me, I thought of my wife and bought what I
thought was sensible, (meaning less.)
Over the decades, my brother
got quite a kitty.
Logical
at the time for both of us - yes. Me, I got what I really wanted at the
time.
My
brother, at the time he was unmarried and worked second shift. He would come
home, set the stereo
on his music and work on kits until the small hours
and then went to bed. As he said, phone never rang, music was sublime
and
he felt he was in his groove. And
he was very, very, happy building the kits.
He got quite a few built.
However, if he got shaky hands or things were not just right, he’d put things
away and go to bed.
He told me that the once or twice he pushed it; the
joy factor went way down and he regretted not pushing it away sooner.
I know he got great joy out of assembling these cars as I'd ask often
what he had worked on. His face would lite up.
He also said, “Why
rush it? Why rush the joy? You want the joy to last.” The joy was not in the
destination, the joy was in the journey.
So, Point 1; I will state I think
that he was not really buying the
kits; he was purchasing the joy they bought him
while he was
working on them. Like watching a great sunset, or discovering new things while
on vacation. You find joy in the moments.
Perhaps like
eating a great meal, you just want to savor it. (Which conversely when people
rush through assembling kits, I tend to think
of hot dog eating contests
or folks who’ve looked a person vacuuming food and ask what the rest of us are
wondering, “Do you really taste that?”)
Point
2 – I’m not sure
why - however I feel as Tom stated about taking the kits out that I have and
thinking that I’ll still get to them.
I took a look
at some (like Tom wrote about prior) a few minutes ago, and then put them
back on the shelf.
What did I feel afterwards – joy, contentment,
calm. Is that rational? I don’t know - however that was how
I felt,
– the mere act of taking them out and looking at
them brings me joy.
I’ve got one (a resin kit) open now on the bench
and as time allows, I slip away and work on it. And slip back into bliss for a
while.
You
feel it, I feel it. It brings us joy. That is why we do it. Irrational,
perhaps, however the state of joy often is.
James Dick - Roseville, MN
