For the month of December, I have
been and will continue to sell Christmas Trees at a nearby farm stand. Each day
this week I go to school, get home for a few minutes, go to work, get home, eat
dinner, shower, do my homework, and go to sleep. It struck me that this is most
likely what my life will be once I join the work force, maybe with a little
more free time but essentially the same (especially because the fields I want
to go into have high workloads the first few years). This has got me thinking,
why do we work so long and hard? In the end, a vast majority of us will be but
a memory in a few peoples’ minds, if we’re lucky perhaps our name will be
embedded in a Wikipedia article or two for eternity. Even the greatest of us
will likely be forgotten in a few millennia; a mere wink in the life of the
universe.
While this all sounds quite ominous,
I assure you things are not as bleak as they appear. For every part of our
life, we work hard to improve the next stage. Sometimes this next stage is next
month with some spending money in my pocket, sometimes it is five years down
the road when I get that promotion I always dreamed of. First we work to do
well in high school and get into a good college, then to do well in college and
get a good job, then to do well at that job and (maybe) get another job, and
upwards and onwards, either improving at one job or leapfrogging from job to
job until we find one we love. This is one of the handful of key reasons why we
work all of our lives. Without anything to do, life gets boring in a hurry. It
only takes a week or two of summer vacation with nothing to do to realize that.
With a job you enjoy, you are given something to do all the time that is both
productive for society (probably) and keeps you busy. That is, in my opinion,
why we work so hard in life.
Reader, why do you think we work all our lives (save
after retirement)?
I believe that it is one of the most important things in life to find out what your purpose is. Some people find this through religion, others through a profound pull towards a cause, and others through many trials and errors. Personally, I think that if you find what you were meant to do, it a a form of fulfillment for your life and not a daily burden that you must grind through. Sure, some days will be tough and you will question why you do what you do. But, at the end of the day, it's what your life will ultimately be defined by: what you have done with the personal fits that you had with the opportunities that you took.
ReplyDeleteThough money can't buy happiness, it is truly an essential part of life. To be able to sustain the true happiness of a group of family and friends that loves you, working for money is a must.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain with the long work days. When I worked at Staples, I would have exactly 45 minutes before work which was the only time I had to relax and it was the only thing that got me through the day. If I had even 5 minutes less I would be absolutely miserable and stressed out for the next day. I will say that work is so much better when you enjoy what you are doing, but we work because if we have no purpose in life, we are just wasting our lives. If you did absolutely nothing everyday, you would be just as miserable. Its all about finding a good balance, or as the wise Adam Bakr says, "Work Hard. Play Hard."
ReplyDeleteI think in theory, the reason we work is either because we enjoy what we do or because it means that by working we, as well as our families can lead a better life. That being said at least today that is not the case. Many people, especially struggling families, work more than 40 hours a week for low pay just to put food on the table, and still can't make do. If you think about it, the amount of work it takes to survive in the world right now is insane, especially with the cost of healthcare, gas or public transportation, and food. It's crazy when you consider how much work gets put in just to survive in the world.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow tree salesman, I feel your pain. I usually go home and go right to work on weekdays, and spend 9 or 10 hours at work over the weekends. This makes for some full pockets and sore shoulders. Although the money is a nice part of it, I mostly work as a distraction. Lately, I have been extremely stressed out (as we all are I assume) and when I just sit in my room my stress just festers. I really enjoy what I do and the people I work with, so it is a great opportunity to take my mind off my problems.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping that when I am older I find a job that is fulfilling to me, but also one that I can make money at. I know a lot of people who have boring, monotonous jobs, but these jobs help them realize that they don't want to do that job for the rest of their lives. They use it as motivation to find a greater job for the future.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what, we will be forgotton some day. Many of the greatest people to ever breath in this world are forgotten, and all of them will eventually be forgotten at some point in time. Some people would think that as a depressing thought, but to me it just means that you should go out and do what is fulfilling to you while serving society.
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