catherine96821:
It is all really easy if you don't over-intellectualize.
Once many many years ago, I worked on a drilling rig as a derrick hand who is the roughneck in charge of maintaining the mud pumps. One night the driller, the guy in charge of the shift, called me to the rig floor and told me to go listen to the pump and see if I could here a leak.
The way one checks a mud pump is to put his ear over each valve cover in such a way that it closes the ear lobe and you can clearly hear and feel the workings of the valve underneath.
After carefully listening to each of the six valves I ran back up to the floor and told the driller the pump sounded fine. It just so happened the tool-pusher, the man in charge of all the shifts, was there that night and the driller started telling him about how the pump gauge just didn't look right. While they were standing there and talking about how the needle was moving more than it should, I announced I was going to go check the pump again.
I was about 22 at the time and these men in charge were thirty and forty years my senior. I was the derrick hand and by God if that pump was leaking I could tell!! I listened and listened and listened some more, and after a while I heard it. A little tale tale swish swish on each stroke. I ran back up to the floor and proudly announced that yea the pump was leaking and we needed switch over to pump 2 so I could fix it.
The tool-pusher stands up and says "show me". We go back down and he listens for about 5 seconds, stands up and shakes his head. "It ain't leakin" So of course I say something brilliant: "you sure? I thought I heard a leak" He looked at me and said something I'll never forget: "Harry if you listen hard enough, you can here anything"
Such is life. It doesn't have to be right, decent, honorable or even real. I have come to realize that not only can you here anything, you can see anything, feel anything and most of all, you can believe anything you want if you listen hard enough.
