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How to Avoid Work
October 21, 2015
We can help our kids realize that butterflies are better than batteries.
-Mark Hovater
-Mark Hovater
Brainpickings website pulled some nuggets of advice from a book published 66 years ago - How to Avoid Work. Here is some of the advice from the author William Reilly that still makes sense:
"Life really begins when you have discovered that you can do anything you want....
"Most [people] have the ridiculous notion that anything they do which produces an income is work — and that anything they do outside "working" hours is play. There is no logic to that....Your life is too short and too valuable to fritter away in work....
"Actually, there is only one way in this world to achieve true happiness, and that is to express yourself with all your skill and enthusiasm in a career that appeals to you more than any other. In such a career, you feel a sense of purpose, a sense of achievement. You feel you are making a contribution. It is not work....
"To my mind, the world would be a much pleasanter and more civilized place to live in, if everyone resolved to pursue whatever is closest to his heart's desire. We would be more creative and our productivity would be vastly increased....
"The greatest satisfaction you can obtain from life is your pleasure in producing, in your own individual way, something of value to your fellowmen. That is creative living!"
Contributed by Kirsten Haugen
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Comments (6)
Displaying 5 of 6 Comments [ View all ]the grand child care center
chicago, IL, United States
Rule number One : Work what you love the most.
Rule number Two : Enjoy your work as that brings bread and butter ..
Boulder City, NEVADA, United States
This describes my Dad. He practiced medicine for more than 60 years. The only thing that stopped him was a heart attack at 88; he lived for another 10 years.
I pray that I have his longevity. I love teaching in the ECE field!
North Carolina, United States
Taking a stance that the only way to "achieve true happiness" is to be in a career that "appeals to you more than any other" is, in my opinion, an elitist view to take and can breed discontent and hopelessness. Truth is, the workforce is full of people doing something other than their dream job. I'm sure that some of the good folks in janitorial positions don't find that career more appealing than anything else in the world, but I do believe they can achieve true happiness in life.
Many of us in early care and education are fortunate to do work that is meaningful to us, but the children in our care, and the families who love them, are comprised of people who represent lots of careers...food service, housekeeping, sales, retail, clerical, etc.
While it is nice to work in a field we care about, value can be found in any profession. To think otherwise is not as respectful of the diverse culture that we claim to uphold and cherish in early care and education. Some of the children in our care will end up cleaning toilets; some may run a corporation...neither is guaranteed more happiness than the other, and for us to postulate that dreamy pursuits equal happiness is an unfortunate waste of influence.
Meredith College
Raleigh , North Carolina, United States
I understand where the author is coming from, but this strikes me as an upper middle class, top-of-the-self-actualization-pyramid sentiment. Some people have to work at jobs which may not fulfill them but that job does put food on the table and a roof over their family's heads. Finding a career in which work does not feel like work is a blessing, but it is not always possible. And society is blessed that some are willing to do the menial, non-fulfilling jobs that make modern life possible.
Discovery Children's Centre
Winnipeg , Canada
I see the difference almost every day, between staff who do their work with passion and a sense of calling, and those to whom it is just a job. Fortunately the culture of our place is more welcoming to the first set of people and others often self select their way out.
My favourite day is Monday, for I still feel like I have 5 days to do all the things inwant to do this week.
Thannks For the lovely reminder to keep this frame of mind with us throughout our lives.
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