Dumb

Some of the comments I make could be taken in ways that are not intended. I readily admit that I think the pipe industry in general is doing a lot of dumb things. Standard drilling techniques seem dumb to me. Using vulcanite or acrylic for stems seems dumb to me. That's how I see it.

But that doesn't mean that I think people who use those techniques or materials are dumb. We all have reasons for the ways we do things. They would certainly be justified in thinking that I am dumb because I put so much work into my pipes and make so little money from doing it. I'd have to agree with them. People are used to certain materials and the results of certain techniques, and if you conform to their expectations they are more likely to buy pipes from you.

Money is a real pain in the ass. It drags us around by our noses and dictates the bulk of our lives. No man knows when he will die, if today is my last day do I want to spend it chasing after the dollar or doing something that feels useful and right?

Unfortunately I have no solution to the question of what people should do instead of use money. There should be something better though. It just doesn't seem to work very well.

Lots of industries do dumb things and make a lot of money that way. I don't get it, but that's okay. Maybe someday I'll understand it, or maybe someday a better system than money will be invented. For now I just do what is in front of me.

Someone mentioned my "unvarnished philosophy" in a comment, I think that was the term that was used. Maybe I need to varnish my philosophy. Then I could coat my varnished philosophy with wax and it would be very very shiny indeed. I don't even put wax on my pipes, ever... wax seems to me like a kind of fakery. I'll just leave my pipes smooth and my philosophy rough, people will take them or leave them as they wish to do. That seems the right way for things to be.