220126 Sentinel, Once upon a Time

This is the way many stories begin.

This is one such story, once upon a time.

This was written back in the nineties when I worked at Litton and was studying Zen. Don't worry it's not something to convert you to Buddhism.

Zen, circuit boards and us, what do they have in common?
More than you might think. When a conductor has a current flow through it, the conductor produces a magnetic field. If there is another conductor close enough, it has a current induced in it because of the magnetic field. We humans are affected by everyone we come in contact with, and we affect everyone we meet in some way. It may be in a small way or be a great effect on them. When conductors separate, their effect dwindles, one person's effect on another diminishes the further apart they become.
Joyce was the person who affected me more than anyone else.

Solder mask on a board covers the space between 2 conductors on a layer and prevents solder from flowing from one point to another, causing a failure. We as people have a type of mask we use to insulate ourselves from one another so others don't know who we are. We sometimes mask ourselves from others so we don't get involved, and hopefully protect ourselves.
When we drill holes in a circuit board we plate the sides of that hole. If we plating is good, we connect layer to layer. If we don't plate ourselves correctly, we have voids that prevent connection. In our own lives, if we don't connect properly with others, we suffer from the voids in our lives.
A circuit board doesn't start out as a complete unit. It starts as a single layer. That layer is imprinted, developed and etched. Each layer is put together with others and fused to become one unit. Our lives are a series of single events that are fused together to make us who we are. A life is a collection of single moments that becomes a complete life over time. No circuit board is conceived, designed, fashioned by one person. It takes a group effort to make it happen. No life occurs alone, it takes many people to formulate and continually alter the person we are. Each of us have parents, friends, spouses, clergy, co-workers that all affect us in ways sometimes so subtle we may not realize it.
Litton sold circuit boards to companies that produced telephone networks. Our customers sold telephone systems throught the country. We are all linked together through telephones. We had engineers that wrote procedures that direct the processes we use to manufacture boards. We have had teachers, not only in school, that have guided us through our personal lives.
All throughout the board making process there are baths and solutions that cleanse the board and allow the next process to properly build on the previous stage. In our lives, we must periodically cleanse ourselves and redirect ourselves on to the next level. Some steps in the process roughen the surface of the copper so when the next layer is pressed on, it sticks better than without having been roughed up. Sometimes in our lives we have rough times, and they help us grow and become stronger.
All boards are completely tested for electrical integrity before leaving the shop. In our lives we are frequently tested, for integrity and decency. If we fail, we like the board, will need to be re-worked, to make us suitable for continuance. All boards go through a final audit to judge whether or not they are ready for their final destiny. Just like the circuit board, we will be judged at the end of our lives to see if we meet the necessary requirements for our final destiny. The circuit board is judged by whether it has gone through the procedures correctly. We are judged by how we follow the correct procedures with other people.
When the board goes through shipping and out the back door is when we make the money, not before. When we get to the back door of our lives is when we receive our reward.