SMALL GOVERNMENT IN THE WORKSHOP OF THE SHOEMAKER

A1+
[01:40 pm] 22 November, 2006

64-year-old master Hakob is one of the best shoemakers of Nor Aresh,
as the residents of the district claim.

He has been doing his favorite job for the last 50 years. He started
it quitting the school in the 7th form and joining a local master in
order to study the trade.

"What shall I do at home? I work here, and time passes", the master
explains his wish to come to work every day. People of different
age visit the shoemaker. Often he repairs shoes free of charge, if
the owners do not have money. "I can’t let them freeze in the cold",
he says.

About 3-5 customers come to him every day.

Nevertheless, the work is not what it used to be.

People prefer to buy new shoes instead of repairing old ones. "There
are cases when I don’t have anything to do for weeks". During those
days he makes his workshop a kind of National Assembly or Government
where people discuss different issues and offer solutions. Master
Hakob’s friends visit him, and they discuss different problems
of their lives, hoping that the experiences master will give them
valuable advice.

At the end of the conversation the shoemaker said, "Let the country
be in peace, let our compatriots return to their homeland, and let
the young achieve their aims".