Competency

A favorite pair of shoes developed a hole in its sole. The shoes fit beautifully and comfortably. I could spend a day in them commuting, working, standing and walking all over campus. They looked terrific and were stylish. Yes; I loved those shoes. They were Allen Edmonds and were costly, about $325 for the pair. So, I contacted Allen Edmonds in Wisconsin (yes made in America!) and they told me to send them back and they would repair them free of charge. By the way, they would dismantle the shoe to determine why the sole failed. They promised not to alter the fit and comfort for me!

A few weeks later the shoes were returned like new but worn into by my feet and fit. Beautiful and comfortable.

Allen Edmonds demonstrated competency. They know how to build a shoe that lasts and works as it is supposed to. They even stand behind it and fix it like new.

My other shoes wore out, too, but I took them to a local shoe repair man, one in Wheaton, Illinois. John’s was a special shop. You brought your favored shoes to him and he lovingly repaired them to continue their useful life pleasing the wearer. Competent. Specialist in his craft.

My doctors are specialists in what they do as well. Cardiologists, pulmonologists, urologists, general practitioners, neurologists and other specialties, too. I know they know their fields of medicines. I trust their judgments, diagnoses, and treatments. I have trusted surgeons in the same manner.

Best we all do.

Researchers in many fields of specialty demonstrate their competencies daily. They delve into history of long ago eras and make sense of them. They inspect current events for clues as to why they became events in the first place. They take cues from history to better understand the happenings of today. I trust their thoughts on these matters and want to hear what they have to say. I don’t accept or approve everything I hear, but it is all food for thought. It edifies my understanding.

Competency in history, writing, literature and more of the liberal arts is all good. Nothing exists alone. All is interdependent on everything else. Cause. Effect. Result. We do not always know the ‘all’ that is involved, but we are alert to possibilities of their existence. That realization comes from disciplined thought and effort.  Competency learned over time.

Same for scientists. Did the NASA engineers know how to place men on the moon? No; they did not. But they learned how to do it by sharing scientific knowledge among many disciplines and engineering fields to arrive at the methodology. Within a decade NASA placed men on the moon and brought them back safely. Not an easy task but now we have built a space station and manned it continuously for many years. We have cooperated with other nations to do this as well. We do not do this in a vacuum of others, or of sole disciplines of thought.

Competency. HIV/AIDS has been survived, not solved, but survived. Polio has been eradicated. Same for Small Pox, the Bubonic Plague and so many other diseases. With new science and equipment, we have nearly conquered COVID-19 in record time. The trick is to get everyone vaccinated. But competency gives us the tool to solve problems, like vaccines.

What we need are competent citizens who trust competency and get vaccinated.

Competency comes in many shades, shapes and methods.

Like Mikey said: “Try it. You’ll like it.”

July 16, 2021