I just had a long call with my dad. Every now and then he tells stories about his first job in the steel mills. Those were the only jobs in our city back then. He must have seen twenty people killed or maimed by molten metal, falling ingots, or explosions in a short five year career there. I cant help but be grateful for all the men who worked and died in the industrial revolution and in horrible manual labor jobs to build this modern world. We might not have the great culture that existed in times past, but many of us have a choice to not have to work in such dangerous places. Sometimes on a trip, i lift my glass to salute human ingenuity, knowing mostly men’s hard work made all of it possible.