I have actually used such rationalization in my own work experience. When working as a butcher at a natural foods store, I quite simply told myself that I was supplying people with healthy, delicious food. Working at an outdoor outfitter I've been able to say that I am helping people reconnect with nature and all the benefits that provides. These are easy answers. Under scrutiny I'm sure it could be shown that the jobs I've held provide less societal benefit than I'd like to believe, but if we're talking about happiness at work I'm sure everyone is entitled to a little willful ignorance.
I have a great deal of empathy with the Dalai Lama's thoughts on work with the higher purpose of supporting a family. Before reentering college I enjoyed my job to a certain extent. I liked working with gear and advising customers on their purchases. I know however, that I'll never be able to support a family on a retail salary. I know that my expected career path now will probably put me in a position of working for "the man" but I want my wife and my kids to be safe and comfortable. I also want my work to be appreciated and to have a job in a field where my greatest talents lie. I know it's not the most purely anti-consumerist logic, but I think that one could do much worse.
bell hooks, while possibly more realistic, held very little interest for me. I found myself merely trying to push through to the end of the reading. I was continually waiting for her to actually make a point. The few that she did make were not particularly strong and she took much too long in getting to them. The reading was very much like what I would expect from a reasonably skilled high school or college writer
Michael-
ReplyDeleteThis post exhibits the qualities that I am looking for in the blog assignment. You engage with the material intellectually and personally by drawing connections between the readings and your own experiences. That said, I'm not too sure about the final paragraph, which doesn't so much engage hooks' ideas as it evaluates her writing style. I agree that she presents a more realistic vision of the difficulties of adopting the Dalai Lama's perspective on callings, although she mentions Buddhism on a couple of occasions herself.
Perhaps there are different levels of abstraction with which we talk about fulfillment at work. On a subjective level, we must be pragmatic about our activities. Whatever helps us get through the day is the ruling philosophy: "I am allowing the masses to tape record their ideas!" However, on a more objective level, we should acknowledge the very real obstacles of racism and sexism - not to mention class inequalities - that obstruct our ability to achieve satisfaction in the workplace.
You sound like a fairly pragmatic, career-oriented type, no?
Dr. B