on Jan 9th, 2007Tuesday Depression — Working for the Man Edition
I realize that what I should be depressed about today is Ohio State’s embarassing loss to Florida but that’s too close right n ow. I am simply not prepared to discuss a loss that staggeringly lopsided.
Instead let me get serious for a moment and discuss something that is truly terrifying to me.
I spend the majority of my week at work.
And I really have no idea why. Why should my time, my precious limited time, belong to someone else?
I realize that if you abstract things enough then working a J-O-B isn’t any different than, say, farming. With a high enough level of abstraction both of them can be summed up as: “Trading time for subsistence.”
But the differences are fundamental and real and cannot be abstracted away with an attempt of equivalency. Subsistence on your own land, by the sweat of your own brow, and with it intimately connected to the life of your family is far different than removing yourself from your home and your family for 10 hours a day to perform abstract tasks unrelated to the needs of your body and mind in exchange for money, which you then exchange for your subsistence.
Now that I’m a father what I grudge most is the time away from my family. I love my daughter and my wife, and I cherish the ways that we are interconnected. Every second I’m not at home helping around the house, playing with Ella, talking with Julia, or staring into space while they circulate around me is a second that I resent.
I should mention at this point that I like my job (Hi boss, just in case you’re reading!). My job is challenging and satisfying to my need to work alone and solve problems. That being said I’d be far more happy working out my subsistence at my own house surrounded by my life and family.
I’m sure many of you feel the same way. Why don’t you get it off your chest in the comments below?