The Daily Grind
At this point in my life, I have held a number of jobs and spent a considerable amount of time in school. I think I can say that without qualification, every occupation I have ever had left me physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of most days. This is not to say that there has not been excitement and inspiration. But whereas excitement and inspiration have been occasional visitors, exhaustion has been a constant companion.
This leads to a number of questions-
Is our culture's attitude towards work inhumanely demanding or otherwise dehumanizing?
Is it something in me that makes work exhausting, something in my attitude or constitution?
Is there a right occupation out there for me, that if I found it, my exhaustion would be combatted by an equally constant inspiration? In other words, is it a matter of finding the right fit for my skills and interests, that is somehow still elusive after all these years of trials and errors?
Is it the human condition that work should always be exhausting, regardless of whether it is rewarding or not, regardless of the amount, the environment, and so on? Is it just inherent to the nature of work and life that we should tire from it?
This reminds me of the great biblical story of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden, and the curse upon Adam, that he shall have to make his living by the sweat of his brow. Somehow I find this eternal and somewhat unreasonable curse satisfying, as it gives me some means for understanding my daily exhaustion.
I do have one partial answer. For me, the answer is not to avoid or eliminate work. I do see a spiritual need and value to work. I'm glad that I get to work; I'm even glad that I have to work. But my relationship with work, that could stand some improvement.
This leads to a number of questions-
Is our culture's attitude towards work inhumanely demanding or otherwise dehumanizing?
Is it something in me that makes work exhausting, something in my attitude or constitution?
Is there a right occupation out there for me, that if I found it, my exhaustion would be combatted by an equally constant inspiration? In other words, is it a matter of finding the right fit for my skills and interests, that is somehow still elusive after all these years of trials and errors?
Is it the human condition that work should always be exhausting, regardless of whether it is rewarding or not, regardless of the amount, the environment, and so on? Is it just inherent to the nature of work and life that we should tire from it?
This reminds me of the great biblical story of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden, and the curse upon Adam, that he shall have to make his living by the sweat of his brow. Somehow I find this eternal and somewhat unreasonable curse satisfying, as it gives me some means for understanding my daily exhaustion.
I do have one partial answer. For me, the answer is not to avoid or eliminate work. I do see a spiritual need and value to work. I'm glad that I get to work; I'm even glad that I have to work. But my relationship with work, that could stand some improvement.
Comments
I often feel a good kind of exhaustion after hard exercise. For example, if I have to take a long flight in the afternoon, I try to have a good workout in the morning so that I want to sit for hours on end.
I would often feel a bad kind of exhaustion after teaching drama classes to kids for just a few hours. I would be at my wits end. "Get me outta here!"
It seems like some kinds of exhaustion are good in that they make you satisfied and stronger, but other ones just leave you drained and you have to re-charge from somewhere else.
(On a side note, I think a 40+ hour work week is inhumane. Also I find that doing nothing can be utterly exhausting as well.)