Such laziness in building the nation!

Joseph, the foster father of Jesus was a carpenter. Jesus was his ‘part-time assistant.’ It was a business strategy for which Joseph struck an honest living for his household.

Ok. I am talking about carpentry and some of these biting bugs-carpenters. Joseph must surely suffer from humiliation courtesy of some of today’s ‘efficient and lazy-less’ carpenters!

A friend of mine had just placed an order for a table and a chair from this little known carpenter. It was on a Sunday afternoon. The bargain progressed well and was fair. He paid eighty percent of the money required for both the chair and the table.

“Come tomorrow at three,” the carpenter said. A big smile ate his mouth as the appetite for swallowing the money bit him like a bug.

“You will get your things tomorrow,” the carpenter said again and again.

I recalled the little story of a carpenter in our village. He admitted that one can never beat a carpenter at his own game. In any case, you should never take his promises and assurances very seriously. You must surely have the positive disease of patience in order to get your furniture in two or three weeks’ time when you had been asked to come in two or three days to do it.

“Expect postponed decisions from the carpenter in order to get your furniture,” is what I told Steve.

The following day, Steve armed himself with anger and headed to the carpenter’s enterprise. It was some minutes before three. The carpenter was nowhere to be seen. For the next four days, the situation was the same. The fellow emerged four days later.

“You will get your things tomorrow,” were the very words that came out of his smile-deficient mouth. Steve was fuming. He was very impatient with the fellow

I don't think Joseph was such a short changer. I have never read anywhere where his inefficiency or laziness is pointed out. But, such bug of inefficiency and indolence bit our carpenters long ago and are lazily dragging themselves in building the nation.

It is not unusual to find most of them in their merchandise waiting to play cards with you. Ironically, most of them can do a very wonderful job for you.

There's even some other client who sat in the hot sun, awaiting some final touches to be made on his bed. He had waited for three weeks but his patience was not bearing any fruits. He had been assured it would be finished in three days' time.

"The only time these guys were efficient and did first rate work is when they made Jesus' cross. It never even took them time to nail Him on the cross," the impatient fellow claimed. "It was some painful experience, but they did it quick."

Why does it take some of them two or more days to make a stool or chair that should be done in two days or less?

While building for the nation, such laziness and inefficiency should be condemned. The rate of personal development side tracks the rate of one's (in)efficiency at work or in business. This bug of inefficiency should be shoved somewhere in a corner where it can't get the guts to bite us once in a while.

Joshua Masinde