When I was young, I read a book Working by the American journalist Studs Terkel, in which he interviewed representatives of various professions in the United States and asked them to describe their activities. I was struck by how seriously Americans consider their work. For the vast majority, this is a significant part of their daily life, which should be accepted seriously. All of them, from a municipal garbage man or a cleaner in a dog shelter to a business investor, knew all the moves and exits, all the tricks, they looked for ways to improve, tricks to make it easier, they knew how to plan and calculate efforts. And I was also amazed, if not shocked, by one entertaining short story. It was about the front-line reporter of the WWII period. He and a friend went into the front toilet (yes, a specially built wooden toilet with cubicles). An ordinary soldier was sitting at the entrance, giving out toilet paper, three leaves per visitor. The journalist’s friend asked if he could take a little more paper. The toilet guard replied, “No, it’s not allowed! One leaf – from top to bottom, one – from bottom to top, and one – for complete purity!
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