THE GENERALIST REVENGE

The generalist revenge starts with dumping the cookie cutter.

Not everyone is the same, not matter how convenient that might be.

Take changing of the guard in England. They all look alike, but that’s it.

Under those red coats, they are all different.

When I joined the Army in 1974 we were all individuals until he got haircuts and put on the uniform.

After that we learned new jobs, but not everyone got out of bootcamp in one piece.

More than one guy tried to have their ‘say’ when they weren’t asked.

Way back in the day the Army was criticized for being soft, that drill sergeants were too lenient, recruits too demanding.

Not me, but some.

One of them was a good kid who got too tired on a forced march through the firebreaks carved into steep hillsides.

He got tired gagging on the same dust we all kicked up.

During a rest/water break he decided he’d had enough and wouldn’t stand up and get back into formation.

The drill sergeant explained the situation.

Recruit: My mom knows a congressman.

Drill sergeant yanked him to his feet, slapped his face, spoke to him again, another slap, and pushed him into the formation.

He made a good recovery, found his second wind, and acted like a good soldier.

The generalist revenge isn’t getting tired. Everyone gets tired.

 

The Generalist Revenge With Love

How many times have you gone to the doctor for something, then got referred out to a specialist?

Every time?

A primary care doctor is a generalist, but the big money is in the specialities.

That’s usually life or death with the specialist, and you want pinpoint accuracy, not a general idea.

The generalist revenge has already started.

Have you built furniture from IKEA? Instead of an engineer, you did it.

Did you get a General Studies degree in college?

There are exceptions, but it’s a degree of last chance, like the degree a scholarship athlete gets for taking classes from friends of the athletic department.

Human biology is different than basket weaving which sounds easy if you’ve never done it.

I’m looking forward to the generalist revenge against fee-based services.

Other revenge topics?

 

Fat Man Revenge

Why can’t we just gorge ourselves and be satisfied for the moment?

But there’s always one person complaining about the bloat, their belt, their tight clothes, as if it all came on suddenly.

‘I’ll just drink three 22’s three nights in a row and call it metabolic research, then act confused about a done-lop.’

Oh my God, where did that come from?

A generalist would instead use three small glasses to taste test three beers, then since they’re open chug them all down.

But there are conditions for this sort of behavior to be considered proper.

First, put on a nice shirt your wife bought you. Then grab yard tools.

Go out and work up a solid sweat pulling weeds, scraping gravel, trimming shrubbery, and leave it all on the ground.

Make sure your wife sees you and tells you not to get overheated because emergency rooms are full of old men thinking they’re young men.

Yards are full of old dead men who didn’t listen to their wives and dropped hours before they’re discovered.

Every scratch is an opening for sepsis and you’ll die. In the yard,

Wife: Honey, it’s getting hot. Be careful out there.

Me: (after three hours of scraping and pulling and wondering when my wife will notice) Ok, I’m coming in. First check out what I’ve done. ( A lot.)

Wife: Why are you ruining that shirt? It’s a nice shirt.

Me: I’d better take it off before it gets ripped. I’ll be cooling off in the garage. (With three big beers.)

Day Two

Me: Honey, I’m taking a sauna, then washing your car while I cool down.

Wife: Are you drinking beer?

Me: On a hot day washing a car? Yes, that’s the plan. And vacuuming.

Wife: Thank you.

Day Three

Me: I’m going to stop on the way home for a beer or three, then pick up the yard debris, sweep the patio, and blow off the driveway.

Wife: Okay, sounds good.

 

The generalist revenge is connecting the dots.

And beer.

But not too much, fat man. Just enough to say, ‘Ah, that’s just right.’

 

Inner Child Generalist

From Forbes:

A generalist is a dabbler, an explorer, a learner — someone with broad knowledge across many topics and expertise in a few.

Generalists are likely to have a meandering career path like mine.

Although the life story of a generalist can look a bit disjointed, if you were to draw a Venn diagram of their experiences, you’ll find a great amount of overlap as one opportunity leads to another, like throwing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples spread out concentrically.

 

If you know anything about kids, then you know they like to play with things, but first they dump everything out on the rug.

Born generalists.

They play with toys, they paint, they throw and kick a ball.

Some parents start specialized training early.

Responsible parents want their kids to know right from wrong, just from unjust.

Treat your mother with respect, fear the old man, and run rough-shod over everything else.

Or, help your momma, listen to your dad, and boost up your pals.

Raising a generalist leads to the generalist revenge.

All roads may lead to Rome, but the one you’re on is the one to pay attention to.

As a reader of BoomerPdx you have permission to empower yourself today.