Is work a blessing or a curse

Why you are miserable

Gene Mage

“I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, poor heart, unceasingly;
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A truth and noonday light to thee.”
Life a Duty, Ellen Sturgis Hooper

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was duty.

I acted and behold, duty was joy.”

Rabindranath Tagore

Monday, Wednesday and Saturday the faithful line up to partake in the near sacred ritual of purchasing lottery tickets. A few weeks ago I got the news about a former co-worker who was “hanging in there” in a job below his potential because he is only a few years away from the latter-day nirvana we call “retirement”.

Both the daydreamer and the clock-watcher demonstrate the popular attitude that work is a necessary evil we put up with in order to survive, but all other things being equal, life would be much more fun sitting around the pool.

Face it. We have a love-hate relationship with work. While there is no more miserable person on earth than someone out of work; the misery of the one who does have work takes a close second.

Must work really be equated with suffering, some sort of divine punishment inflicted on mankind?

Pick up a copy of People Magazine and see all the happiness and fulfillment between the pages of those who do not need to work. A study by the University of California San Francisco reports that most lottery winners return to their pre-lottery level of happiness within weeks of winning. About one third go bankrupt. Psychologists have observed how retirees suffer a letdown after a few months or years. The absence of meaningful work can hardly be called a blessing.

The British playwright J.M. Barrie once observed, "It is not real work unless you would rather be doing something else.” Put another way, whether work is suffering or satisfying depends upon our perspective. Time and toil do not make work a burden. We joyfully pour those same cherished resources into sports, hobbies, travel, and other activities without a drop of resentment. We make work a burden by our attitude.

Hate your job? Before you change jobs, try changing your perspective. Right now there are people who would give their right arm to do what you do. Why would that be?

Just because something is difficult does not necessarily make it unpleasant. Our perception of pleasant or unpleasant is strictly a matter of expectations. Every day people immigrate to the United States from countries where the per-capita income is under $500 per year. From their perspective, income we consider to be poverty level looks like an episode of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Then observe how affluent travelers are totally miserable if they do not get their first choice of entree in first class.

No circumstance on earth can make you miserable. Only you can make you miserable. My all time favorite Far Side cartoon depicts a man pushing a wheel barrow of boulders through hell, while whistling and smiling. Then one devil remarks to the other, “We’re just not getting through to this guy.” The happiest people in the world are those who are grateful for everything. They greet each new day with appreciation for being alive, each new person with appreciation for their presence, and each new task with appreciation for the chance to make a contribution. You cannot make that person miserable if you try.

Most of you who are reading this column today will dismiss it out of hand as Polly Anna hogwash. If you admit you are responsible for your misery there will be no one to blame. I suggest you go overseas for a year and see what real oppression and poverty look like. Then you can tell me how much you hate your job.