Who are they?

Ever catch yourself in the middle of conversation saying 'well, they say...'  and then the question quickly follows 'who are they?' Every day we are inundated with information that our brains try to process and file away. Then in the midst of a discussion we sift through our collection and present our findings. The source of that information often times eludes us and it becomes the infamous 'they.' When approached for advice, we readily offer suggestions which often starts with 'they say that...' and the recipient openly accepts it, because 'they' must be reliable and above all credible.  I've watched this kind of evolution in what is an annual tradition, the making of tomato sauce. What started out as a day event with a few bushels of tomatoes washed, peeled, cooked and jarred in one's basement, has become a highly sophisticated process.  Everything has shifted to a more efficient system. Stoves replaced with propane burners, pots replaced with vats, manual tomato straining mechanisms with motorized equipment, and then there is the clock watching; timing really is everything. If all goes as planned from the 5:00 a.m. start; by 10:00 a.m. all is done including the clean up! A far cry from a 12 hour day. So where do 'they' come in? Well, this process didn't just happen. Every year while labouring away, the discussion picked up from last year and inevitably something new was introduced. Why? Because 'they' tried, tested and approved it of course. We were willing to try anything, in the interest of progress (and getting the job done faster) and to our delight that 'improvement' shaved off a few more minutes or made the process a little easier.

Got you thinking eh? How many times have you referred to 'they;' and how many times have you had no idea who 'they' are?  Hmmm...something to think about, after all 'they say...'