A Soldier’s Training: Lessons from the Golf Course

Continually associating with the same base of people must have sheltered me more than I realize. When I'm at work, I am afforded the ability to silently observe droves of people, many completely comfortable acting like themselves and pretending that I don't exist beyond the few seconds it takes me to check their tickets. Sometimes not even that long. I have to say, a lot these encounters and observations have really served to enlighten me in a plethora of ways.

For instance, I've always known there were idiots in the world, but yet something about viewing prime examples of them at the course, in person, has really had a profound impact upon me. It's as if all the bigots and fools I've seen in the media and talked about with friends were only labeled as fictitious characters in my mind. As if real people, certainly adults, that I interact with couldn't possibly be that ignorant. But of course, they can. They were.

Point in case numero uno. Four overweight middleaged white women were putzing around in front of my starter's table waiting for their turn to golf, when the topic turned to race. One of the women brought up a reader's poll she'd seen in the local newspaper recently asking if English should be the USA's official language. "24% said no, 24%! Can you believe that? If they live here than they had better darn learn our language. Foreigners these days!" My jaw clenched and I began seething inside. I in fact had seen this very same poll the day it was run and was shocked to see that only 24% had said no. Do these people even know what that means? It means that all official documents can only be printed and distributed in English. It means it makes it that much harder for the already struggling immigrant and minority populations to get a footing. There's a reason that it hasn't been done for the past 230 years. That was one of my first actual views of a stereotypical adult snob. Though certainly depressing, I suppose it's better to know firsthand that such people still exist.

Another thing I found surprising was the large amount of people who smoke. I know personally very very few people who smoke cigarettes. So, when I had to endure the secondhand fumes of dozens of golfers everyday it was startling, not to mention phlegm inducing. It's disheartening, seeing these old men wheezing and hacking and still sucking down sticks. And I was amazed when I found out one of my bosses, who, like an emphysemic Old Faithful, takes a smoking break outside next to me on the hour, was only 28. I would have guessed 35-at the youngest. Talk about age acceleration. I began to wonder if they even cared, how could they not know what they're doing to themselves I thought? But how could they keep doing it then? One day this same boss talked to me about it. "Don't start if you haven't already Dan. It's a b---h" Now clearly we've all had our fair share of lessons on the dangers of smoking, but never had I heard it from someone I truly knew who smoked himself. Visiting Germany, and now starting college have certainly revealed a whole new world of smokers to me, and thankfully its only served to strengthen my resolve. 15 year-old chainsmokers=not cool. Standing behind a smoker isn't too much fun either.

One other intriguing thing I often contemplated during my long days at the course was the simple impact of being friendly to people. When I started my job, I would simply pretend to not notice people when they walked by me into the shop. In part I felt like I was being fake, acting as cheery as could be no matter the circumstances, not to mention I just didn't have the best social skills. But gradually, especially as I began to recognize regulars, I would smile and say hello to the patrons as they walked by and chat with them a little as they checked their tee time with me. It really does make a noticable difference. People who may be determinedly walking by, stone-faced, would instantly liven up. I even got an occasional tip and a lot more thank yous. What I really came to notice though, was when it started working the other way. Even a year or two ago, I would dismiss the notion that another person's demeanor can impact your own as pish posh. When people would come in smiling and talkative though, it would certainly brighten up my dull day, and conversely when people would come in rushed and cranky it just served to stress me out.

In the end, there wasn't any one thing I learned that was totally new to me. I'd heard everything before. Probably the biggest thing I can take from my time at the course then is a piece of wisdom I'm forced to admit my dad was right about, even if he may not have meant it in the same sense, when he told me I needed a job for the experience. That moral being simply-it's difficult to truly understand something until you've experienced it. One can acquire more than simple on the job skills at a workplace, they can acquire knowledge about life.

So, basically, if there was one lesson I learned during the tenure of my summer job, it's that whenever I'm chain-smoking I'll be sure to be considerate of the people around me.