Old timer in a St. Louis freight elevator taught me something I still use

I was working a modernization job at a 1920s building downtown a few years back. This older mechanic, maybe 68 years old, came up to chat while I was wrestling with a stuck controller. He said "son, you're fighting the machine instead of listening to it." Then he tapped the relay panel with his knuckle, heard something, and pointed right at a loose contact that took me 20 minutes to find. He walked off without even saying his name. Has anyone else had a random encounter like that where one line from a stranger just stuck with you?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo_black7616d ago

Disagree with @aaron_perry though, sometimes you GOTTA fight the machine.

aaron_perry17d ago

Don't fight the machine" REALLY stuck with me too, saved me hours over the years.

aaron_mitchell16d ago

Funny you mention that... my old boss used to say "just let the computer win" right before the printer jammed.