A certain craftsman wanted to construct a “wicker-wacker” and invited people to build with him. He advised them that the basic components included wood, fabrics, glass, coloured threads, bricks, stones and other necessary materials and that he would show them section by section how they would build.
And so the project started. People were assigned various tasks suited to their skills and things got under way, all under the direction of the craftsman. Not knowing exactly what they were building but each person being given sufficient information for their own part of the task.
However, after a short time, some people began to move off and do their own thing, starting their own projects and encouraging others to join them. They used the same materials as the others but they had no idea how to build their wicker-wacker as they didn’t really know what one was. But they were full of their own ideas and wanted to do their own thing for various different reasons. Some were building fairly small projects so they were seeing quick results which satisfied their impatient natures. Others were building more slowly and more thoroughly but their flamboyant structures were getting the attention of others who were easily distracted from the original project and were caught up with the style and charisma of these structures that were taking shape more quickly than the craftsman’s.
Those left on the original project were busy in their various areas. Some stitching, some building, others painting. Each focussed on the job to hand and not able to see the whole but knowing that each part and each section was important to the completion of the final thing. Some were working on site where the final assembly would be, whilst others, like those working with fabric could work wherever was suitable for them bringing each finished section to the site as and when it was ready for fitting into place. Slow steady work, but each person could be fulfilled and satisfied in what they were doing even though they couldn’t see or understand the finished thing.
Whilst the work was continuing, the craftsman began to move amongst the independent projects and saw how futile their efforts were, even though some were taking great pride in what they perceived as achieving something suitable. With no understanding of what a wicker-wacker was other than a knowledge of the materials used they had gone ahead with their building not knowing shape, design or dimensions of the final thing. Although wood had been used it was beech where it should have been oak, fabrics were cotton where they should have been linen, cord where it should have been velvet, and so it went on – personal ideas but not the design of the craftsman, not a wicker-wacker at all. Design was purely of their own making – limited, small and unimaginative. Those looking for quick results were small and generally of a poor quality. Those with bigger ideas were large, flamboyant but lacking stability. None of them had constructed a wicker-wacker, and yet they mocked and scorned those workers who were still busy on the original project. Those who were faithfully working on their own section, listening to the directions from the craftsman; not knowing or understanding the complete picture but excelling in the task assigned.
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