There was a commercial years ago that said “you can pay me now, or pay me later” – it had to do with engine oil as I remember. Although this commercial ran NOB long before a little boy about 8 years old offered to push my grocery cart the other day, the concept is reborn in him.

First let’s look at a recurring theme in my adventures here SOB and that is the work ethic of the Mexican people, and we can probably throw in the work ethic NOB and its potentially negative effects by comparison. 

Here everyone works, they learn it early, mostly because, to put it on a bumper sticker, “to work it to eat”! The work force here seems to span about 8 to 80 with the kids doing simple things like pushing grocery carts, to opening a car door for you at a restaurant, but they learn to associate some level of activity, some salesmanship (they “ask” for the order) and a level of commitment to what they’re doing to receiving income. This is a lesson lost on current day kids NOB, most don’t have to work, many are not taught to work and it sets a pattern for a lifelong attitude of entitlement.

Here you’re entitled to what you receive by performing some physical activity. They accept what you give them as payment, they generally always thank you, they never seem disappointed in the amount you give and are satisfied to have performed a service and been paid for it, they’ve made the linkage.

The middle part of life is often hard work for long hours each day. For instance next door they’re building a wall at one end of the lot and putting a chain link fence around the rest. Two guys spent about two days laboriously digging a footing trench for the stone wall with pick and shovel to a depth of 3’ and maybe 75’ in length only to find it was the wrong measurement and they filled it in and began to dig again. However yesterday a tractor was brought in to level some fill areas and with a backhoe it dug the new trench in maybe 30 minutes.

Pedro, my gardener, works long hours at several properties and yesterday the rental office asked if it would be ok for him to take 4 days in March for his annual religious pilgrimage – 4 whole days? So, the concept of work is engrained deeply into these people even into their elder years when you see Grandmothers selling gum and trinkets on streets and the older men often engaged in a craft or trade as their physical capabilities allow. We look forward to retirement at whatever age, a totally alien concept in their society for the most part.

So why the negative image or stereotype of Mexicans NOB? – well, I believe it’s because we tell people not to work, we provide safety nets that have expanded to become entire cradle to grave life support systems and you not only don’t have to work, you’re encouraged in many cases not to work. So, these people who gladly accept anything given to them quickly learn to accept the system and forget their natural work ethic and adapt to the gringo system. Sad isn’t it?

Back to the little fellow at Soriana the other day, I had a cart and was heading out the door up the hill to the car when he asked if I needed help, I said “no gracious” and walked on. A few minutes later as I finishing loading the stuff into the car there he was again, persistent little cuss, he wanted to return the cart to the storage are in the parking lot (something I always do rather than letting it sit and roll into someone’s car you know). So, I reached in my pocket for some change and gave him a small amount and he was happy and smiling as he pushed the cart away, he’d either learned or put into practice the old adage, “you can pay me now (to push it uphill to the car) or pay me later (to return it empty, lighter and down hill) to the storage area – the kid is pretty smart and more importantly willing to perform a service for a small amount of pay.