Arcosanti and Half-Assedness

Fred has a few good points on what makes a rich vs. poor country. One of his key indicators of poverty is the prevalence of Half-Assedness. Fred defines Half-Assedness as "... a curious mixture of just not giving a damn, lack of ambition, little interest in academics, and sometimes something that looks like lethargy." I'd say the same thing is true of organizations. Actual quotes heard here on property:

Guest-with-baby-in-tow: Excuse me; there is bat shit on your high chair.
Arco Cafe Employee: Yea. It happens.

"Would you just stop working so we can talk?" (Said repeatedly to me by various managers; also heard said by same various managers to a couple other people who still have a work ethic.)

"Would you stop getting projects done so fast? This is Arcosanti!" (Said to me this morning in jest, but telling none the less.)

"So, I guess you're just his/her boy." (Said to me by my manager whenever I do a quick repair for someone without giving them a 45-minute lecture about how they should do it themselves or making them wait six months to do a five-minute job.)

"You'll stop that nonsense after you've been here a while." (Said to me by a manager when I starting picking up trash blowing around the site. Oddly, he was right. I have stopped.)

Yep. Half-Assedness. Goes a long way towards explaining why it has taken 36 years to build 5% of the place.

(shrug)

In a couple weeks, I'll be making bells. Once I learn how to do that, I won't care if the place falls off the mesa. I'll have learned how to do something that I would be very unlikely to learn anyplace else. Not that skill in Bronze-Age metalworking methods is likely to be a marketable skill, but it will look a lot cooler than "toilet snake technician" and "pool boy" on a resume.