The Mennonite work ethic.... down the toilet

For generations, Mennonites have had a reputation of being a hard-working people. When our forefathers were forced to flee Western Europe and into the steppes of the Ukraine because of religious persecution, they became prosperous despite the difficult farming conditions. Many years later, as World War II was raging, Mennonites again had to flee their homes. Some of them, like my father's family, ended up in Paraguay before eventually coming to Canada. Being a farming people now having to survive in the jungle, they faced many challenges. But again, they were able to adapt and they prospered.

But, take a Menno off the farm and plant him in the suburbs and you get.... Rob. Rob, 17 years old and about to graduate from high school, is my much younger brother whom I love dearly and who cracks me up on a regular basis. (fyi: a few posts ago I posted an audio file without explanation - this is Rob and his friend Tim doing their original rap about the Amish entitled "Mechanical Horses". I'm told they're working on a new song which involves a banjo and a whistle... can't wait.) The following is a phone conversation I had with Rob recently:

Rob: I finish school on May 8 cause all my classes are AP.

Me: I guess you can get a jump start on your summer job then and make some extra money before you start university.

R: Yeah, I gueeeeesss... but I don't want to work more than 2 days in a row.

Me: (momentarily speechless) What?!? 2 days?

R: I worked 3 days in a row before and I was tired at the end of it. Maybe I can work for 2 days, then get a day off, and then one more day and then a day off again.

Me: What are you going to do when you have to work 5 days in a row??

R: (indignantly) Well, I won't be working in a grocery store then, will I?

I honestly couldn't do anything but laugh. My great-grandparents are probably spinning in their graves.

In some ways my brother reminds me of Napolean Dynamite, although better looking. It's all in the voice. Rob is entering university in the fall and will be majoring in physics (the kid is a flippin' genius, for real). When I asked him what he would do with a physics degree he said (and this is my favourite thing ever) "I dunno....probably work for NASA or something." I love this guy!!