Work

“What does man gain from all his labour in which he labours under the sun?”

Ecclesiastes 1:3

We have a question. This is a fundamental question which all humans beings ask. Why am I here? What is the point? Why is it so difficult? These are questions which will be addressed in this book.

Why do I have to go to work every day? Work is hard and the regularity of it is often hard to cope with. We go to work to make money to live, but spend most of our time working and not living. The futility of it all can be crushing and many in our days, succumb to the Nihilistic view of anarchy and meaninglessness towards the things that we find ourselves doing. The regularity of the cycle of life bring some into depressive mindsets and the sheer labour of what we do, can get us into a state of thinking that life is just a a treadmill of work, and sleep. Even the things that we enjoy and love, can become just part of the endless cycle of work.

Some make their work their God and give themselves to it. It fills a gaps in their psyche and gives some sense of satisfaction and reward. It keeps our mind busy and our bodies fit. Some let it take over the enjoyment of the fruits of that work, and even let it take over the enjoyment of family and relationships. This can turn into a great evil, and become an idol which we look to for emotional, intellectual and even spiritual support. It cannot do so, so will certainly become a stumbling block to our lives and thinking processes.

Perhaps it is better to have work that is just work, and only provides the money we need for our lives, so that our focus is kept on the things of life that matter, things that pertain to family and other relationships. People are more important than work, but we cannot support and enjoy the people in our lives without financial provision. People must be provided for, and they need more than just food and drink, and the bills paid. Life should have richness, and the deep ties between each of us that keep us together, are supported by the activities we do together and the memories that we can build into our lives.

So the provision we are actually able to make in our lives is of good importance. This is why the job you choose to do is so important, because it will dictate what you are able to do, and the kinds of things you are able to do. It will also impact on the future generation and inform the outcome of what they choose and what they and able to achieve.

Education is of prime significance, since it trains us and teaches us to think and reason logically and well, and to take advantage of all our skills to later get a job that will pay for the things we want out of life. Too many don’t take enough advantage of education, and find themselves disadvantaged later in life when it comes to choosing what they would like to do. Other are kept in the dark about these issues and make decisions based on decadent temptations and their own personal wants, without the wisdom to think about where their life decisions will lead. Good councillors are important and families that help children to think about these issues are supportive and wise.

There are other issues involved too, like health and upbringing, attitudes, motivation, prejudices, and all sort of psyche related issues that will determine our mindset, which can be explored to help us understand where we are coming from as human beings, and going to as eternal spirits. The two cannot be separated. We have bodies and souls and both must be provided for to make a whole person. Work that provides for both is excellent work, and is the blessing of God. But the provision is the whole of life, kept in balance, and thought about carefully, so that we carry ourselves and others into better places.