Wednesday, September 24, 2008

BUT I DON'T WANNA GET DIRTY

What is it that really sells a vacuum cleaner?
What sells Palmolive washing up liquid or that lemon-scented floor cleaner?
More importantly, what would Macbeth be without the scene of Lady Macbeth's dementia?
When we're young we are given a new suit or a new dress by mum and dad who put us out in the garden and then say "Now don't get dirty".
How about charity football matches where you play opposite your mums who say "I just ironed that shirt this morning!" or "Are you really going to kick that muddy ball with those boots?"
No matter what we do, whether its in the army running around in trenches 12 feet deep, in politics when uncovering cases of bribery, fraud, theft, and politicians who have more tongue and vocabulary than influence, or even religious ministers who get their flocks dirty - this is all taking place on a great big ball of mud, water, metal and wood hurtling through a big black sky.
We have all gotten our hands dirty at some stage in our lives, and we will continue to get the money. How many of us would put our trust in a mechanic or a builder who complains about getting their hands dirty? Would we put our confidence in a policeman of James Bond who cringe at the sight of blood, or even a surgeon for that matter?
You probably all understand the point I'm trying to make now - no matter what job or career you are in, there's always the rugby field or the engine or the disease-stricken patient to deal with. The only worry which we all share is: how do we wash it off or not let it ruin us? Just how long or far can we go before mum runs out of the house screaming "Look at the mess you're in!!" or even worse being sent to your room or whatever because you brought the dirt into the house?
To conclude, is it dirt or is it the hands that gather the dirt which is wrong in the first place?