The Right Tools in the Right Hands

Christoper Columbus exemplified what it means to be a human. Known as a prominent explorer, his sprezzatura, or being “the right guy at the right time” enabled him to network with people that had the resources he needed and help him on his quest to explore. By taking advantage of his sprezzatura as well as new technology of his day, he was able to discover a new continent where settlers were able to design and establish a fresh form of government.

By developing in ourselves the good traits of Columbus, we can discover ourselves new talents and find unexpected discoveries. I think a personal example will help illustrate. Last summer I worked as an arborist and removed many hazardous trees. I decided to take on a project of making benches for a wedding as a way to make some extra money. Removing the trees was no problem given my experience and training, but I needed more resources to process the logs into usable lumber.

Felling a hazardous tree

For Columbus, ship design in the late 1400's had just developed the caravel ship, which was able to sail into the wind, unlike other ships that could only sail with the wind. Astrolabes and magnetic compasses were also being refined during this time to a point that they were becoming very useful in maritime navigation. His skills alone combined with these tools allowed him to sail, but without money or a crew, he had no hope of becoming the world’s greatest explorer. 

I found myself last summer with a huge pile of logs but no way to transport them to a mill to turn them into usable lumber. I thought about how I could access the needed equipment, but hiring a log truck was too expensive and impractical for this job. After talking with coworkers, people at church, and in-laws, I found a friend of a friend’s aunt’s husband with a portable bandsaw mill. These mills are a relatively new concept where, instead of bringing logs to a mill, you bring the mill to the logs. The bandsaw also has a narrow blade that allows more of the log to be used. After speaking to the friend's  aunt's and husband, I was able to work out a trade where I could mill all my logs, and the owner could have the leftover lumber; a win-win solution.

Milling a large black walnut log on site

Another person from history that was able to change the world by taking advantage of new technology and connecting with others to get the resources he needed by being the right guy at the right time was Martin Luther. Luther took advantage of the recently invented printing press to mass-produce information to gain public favor and momentum for the reformation. Without sprezzatura, Luther would have likely not had access to the printing press, gained the trust of the public, or been able to gain a critical mass of supporters to revolt against the one body that then represented both church and state.

Finished benches