The Tailor
There’s a small tailor shop on Main Street here that has to be 40 years old (I’ve been here 35) run by a single tailor. The place is a mess, in that there are threads and samples and tools all over the place. He has to clear the counter to write out a receipt. But he’s quite busy, he’s one-of-a-kind.
I brought a jacket in the other day with a small rip on the lapel. Without even looking inside he said, “This is entirely hand made.” (It’s a Kiton, which is entirely hand made. Brioni, for example., an excellent brand, is only mostly hand made.) “And cashmere,” he said, feeling the material.
He examined the rip and the fabric, hunted around to find the right color and size thread, a needle, thimble, and scissors, and started sewing a couple of inches away from the tear. (I thought he’d tell me to leave it with him, maybe get it back in a week.) Ten minutes later there was no defect visible at all. I watched him the entire time and still didn’t understand how he did that. No automation, no machines, just skill.
“There,” he said, as he finished.
“How much?” I asked.
“You pay me what you want to pay me,” he said.
I paid him significantly, only partially for the repair job, but mostly for this disappearing experience of one-on-one personal service with “ancient” expertise. One coming day he won’t be there, and no one will take his place. Of course, the same applies to me.
And to you.
Life is not AI, which is just another tool. Life is IA: Interpersonal Associations. Engage in them while you can.
