Recently, my son who is studying mechanical engneering in one of the local universities, had a problem with his second-hand motor-cycle which he had bought nine months ago.
It was a Sunday and he had to go out to get certain things. After he had gone ten minutes on his bike, it refused to move. The engine was still on.
Since it was a Sunday and mechanics usually close for the day, he had no alternative but to search for a safe place to leave his bike. A police-station could be the best possible place to do so but there was none in sight. So, he asked around and found a newly opened mechanic shop.
The bike was 'repaired' but it could only move at sixty kilometres per hour at the fastest. Of course, he was not satisfied. The mechanic had told him everything was alright. In that case, how is it that it had no power despite the repairs, change of the plug and the engine oil?
Upon complaining to the mechanic after retrieving the bike and discovering the weakness, the mechanic told him that he would have to open up the bike again.
He complained to me about it, believing that he had been overchanged without the problem solved satisfactorily.
I explained to him there was no way I would know whether the charges were exorbitant as he was in a different state. Since the mechanic had offered to open the bike again, he ought to let him solve the problem.
As for the anger, I told him there was no point in being angry as in being so, the mechanic would not feel or suffer anything. The mechanic would have forgotten him after passing over the bike and getting his money. So the only person who felt the hurt would be the one who was angry. The anger might affect his mood and spoil the whole day for him.
He told me it was easy for me to say that. Of course, it was not easy not to feel the anger but we should never all ow anger to boil for too long. Forget it as soon as we can by involving ourselves with whatever activities may be at hand. Just let it go, I advised him.
I told him to treat the incident as a lesson in life.
As we all know, it takes all kinds to make the world. Therefore, we have to know the people around as much as possible. Knowledge of people is important to our happiness. In a previous posting, I have revealed how knowledge of the moods of some people has helped to avoid conflicts and bad feelings.
When it came to mechanics, I advised my son to find out where the local people or his friends in the university take their bike problems to. Know their experiences with mechanics in the area. Who has been proved to be reliable in their services? Are the exorbitant in their charges. However, if the charges are slightly more but the workmanship is good, then, in the long run it is alright.
If possible, if time permits, we ought to stay and watch what had to be replaced,the condition of the things replaced and the new, or is it a usable second-hand, part which had been used.
As my son complained, the bike could be started easily at the time it was taken to the mechanic, yet the plug was replaced. Upon hearing that, I knew that mechanic was doing it to earn more that he ought to. After all a good plug need not be replaced until it had malfunctioned.
But, then, that is life. We are at the mercy of such people. However, with knowledge, we understand what kind of person we are dealing with. With mechanics, I do not allow myself any anger. I merely register the knowledge that this mechanic cannot be considered reliable or thrustworthy.
Well, anger does not help things. It can never improve our lives. It can only hurt us. On the other hand, whenever we have bad experiences and we use it to improve nour understanding of human nature, our knowledge increases and that would help us to pick the ones we can rely on.
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