One benefit of being an architect is being able to interact with people from all walks of life. The challenge is to observe, study, and learn their interests and dreams in order to recognize their needs, particularly if they want you to design a home for them.
The gamut of personalities includes the sophisticated CEO to the unschooled laborer. One must familiarize oneself with how people think and how they work so as to understand both their needs and their capacity. For laborers or construction workers, for example, it is good to know their level of skill and enthusiasm for work to be able to maximize their potential. Hearing their stories could likewise be an enriching experience.
One interesting example is someone my father chanced upon while building his chalet inBaguio
Mang Leonardo contracted polio when he was 10 years old. Today, at 40, he cannot use his right hand, so he uses his foot instead. He was born to and raised in a poor family in theMountain Province
However, Mang Leonardo may have accomplished more in his lifetime than most of us by being a good example. He continues to be an inspiration for his co-laborers who have no good reason to stay idle after seeing him doing so much work.
Along the roads of Metro Manila, beggars proliferate, most of them healthier than Mang Leonardo. They take advantage of kind-hearted individuals, some of whom are coerced into alms-giving by their persistent knocking on car windows or by sermonizing priests. But are we really helping them by giving? Or are we encouraging them to beg even more and stop working since begging seems more rewarding? They expose the little babies they tote around to extreme danger. They encourage the scrawniest toddler to ply their wares amid whizzing traffic. Aren't we doing an injustice to those like Mang Leonardo and millions of Filipinos who are working so
hard to make a living, by merely giving to those who choose to remain idle?
On a visit to the depressed areas, you may see many well and able-bodied individuals doing nothing but sharing a mid-morning drink, playing basketball at street corners, or probably engaged in some mischief. Is this the effect of having relatives working abroad? Are these people the recipients of the fruits of someone else’s labor?
The Bible in 2Thesalonians10 states that "If anyone is not willing to work, neither should that one eat." The text is too simple to be misinterpreted.
The gamut of personalities includes the sophisticated CEO to the unschooled laborer. One must familiarize oneself with how people think and how they work so as to understand both their needs and their capacity. For laborers or construction workers, for example, it is good to know their level of skill and enthusiasm for work to be able to maximize their potential. Hearing their stories could likewise be an enriching experience.
One interesting example is someone my father chanced upon while building his chalet in
Mang Leonardo contracted polio when he was 10 years old. Today, at 40, he cannot use his right hand, so he uses his foot instead. He was born to and raised in a poor family in the
However, Mang Leonardo may have accomplished more in his lifetime than most of us by being a good example. He continues to be an inspiration for his co-laborers who have no good reason to stay idle after seeing him doing so much work.
Along the roads of Metro Manila, beggars proliferate, most of them healthier than Mang Leonardo. They take advantage of kind-hearted individuals, some of whom are coerced into alms-giving by their persistent knocking on car windows or by sermonizing priests. But are we really helping them by giving? Or are we encouraging them to beg even more and stop working since begging seems more rewarding? They expose the little babies they tote around to extreme danger. They encourage the scrawniest toddler to ply their wares amid whizzing traffic. Aren't we doing an injustice to those like Mang Leonardo and millions of Filipinos who are working so
hard to make a living, by merely giving to those who choose to remain idle?
On a visit to the depressed areas, you may see many well and able-bodied individuals doing nothing but sharing a mid-morning drink, playing basketball at street corners, or probably engaged in some mischief. Is this the effect of having relatives working abroad? Are these people the recipients of the fruits of someone else’s labor?
The Bible in 2Thesalonians10 states that "If anyone is not willing to work, neither should that one eat." The text is too simple to be misinterpreted.
The current construction and real estate boom we are experiencing offers a lot of job opportunities. Although the work is not easy, the work is there for those who truly seek it. We need more determined workers like Mang Leonardo. The strength of his will is an inspiration to all.
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