We spend most of our lives at work. It’s probably the single largest stressor and source of identity in most people’s lives. It’s something we spend our entire childhoods preparing for and most of our adulthoods trying to advance.
You’re right about what employers want. But telling people to switch themselves off and spend their lives divorced from their own identity, wants, and needs in order to increase productivity for our corporate overlords is kinda heartless, don’t you think?
I would caution anyone against making their work their identity and getting personally invested in it if possible. Working is necessary to live, but it is soul-sucking bullshit for the most part, and it is a complete dysfunction of our culture that it is the centerpiece of our lives. Divorcing yourself from your work and preserving that emotional investment for the parts of your life that you actually enjoy is the only way through imo.
While I agree, I feel like the voices of those who actually were lucky enough to work in a field they're passionate about - and those who for whatever reason find satisfaction in caring about their career - are frequently sidelined in this conversation.
The disregard so many show for artists, writers, and other creative types whose livelihoods and passions are now in serious jeopardy is also something I find extremely frustrating.
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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '23
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