On Work

 Most people I know work for a living. In fact some of us are working longer than we had planned since some economics have not been as certain as they once were. However, there are a few different ways in which we can think about work. Are we looking at “gainful employment,” which is exchanging some of our time and energies for money? Are we looking at putting our vitality into something we love doing, which may or may not involve the exchange of money? Either way, it seems that, in order to be healthy, we’ll need to be active in some pursuit, even if making money is not an issue. Seems the mind needs a focus and the body needs movement.

 "right work"

            You’d think all of this would be self evident and hardly needs saying, but there are a number of people who tend to confuse how they attract money with what we could call right use of time and talents. When Siddhartha Gautama came forth from his meditative state and became The Buddha, he understood that we must play a part in the world. In his spiritual system, which contains ways to think and live, he included a very pragmatic path called “right work.” As human beings that are spiritually based, we make an impact on life, and we can choose how this will take form in the world. One of the ways we can create a place is through work, whether money is involved or not.

a joyless chore

In thinking through these ideas…which seem to make sense…I have to wonder…when did work get such a bad rap? When did it become a joyless chore? Could it be that much of it is done strictly for money with little regard or honor in what we do…and maybe little regard or honor for ourselves in doing it? I think that if we find ourselves in a stuck place in our work, we may find we are in a stuck place that is within ourselves, and this may cause us to be in a place that is really not for us.

an evil profession

The American Transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once wrote, “What have we to do with an evil profession?” I think that the evil consideration here does not so much have to be something illegal or destructive as much as it may mean something completely unsuitable for us. What can possibly be gained eventually if we hate what we do?

We bring light

Does it take more effort to bring our best heart and mind into a circumstance than it does to just get by? No doubt, but what is the cost to us emotionally and psychologically to short ourselves in the bargain? If The Buddha’s wisdom still prevails, it would be important to find the “rightness” in the use of our time and talents. I think that work done with love, creativity, integrity and real understanding cannot fail to celebrate us as we bring light right where we are. This will stand whether we are presidents of corporations, school teachers, mechanics or fence builders.