Work: blessing or curse?
Make Your Own Meaning
Whether you’re on the people’s tram to join a raucous celebration with Socialist or Communist overtones or just sitting at your desk working the typical Thursday, it’s worth reflecting on the work we do every day.
Sometimes we forget that the old story in Genesis placed work securely on the blessing side of the equation: Adam and Eve got to hang in the garden and work it. Their work had purpose. But after the curse, work changed. Painful became a key descriptive. And purposes got all crossed. It’s that painful, cross-purposed stuff we most often think on when we reflect on work.
I’m with the writer of Genesis on this one: work is way more blessing than it is curse. Learning to act in some purposeful way out in the world is a pretty good way to go through life. Picking up skills and using them to earn and help others and provide insight and move projects along—it’s all meaning-making stuff. I’m also of the opinion that we make our meaning as we go. We have to find our own reasons for working. And often those reasons come from somewhere deep inside (versus from a wallet-sized card produced by the public relations or human resources department).
When we start see how our work makes a difference, each day becomes something of an adventure.
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Image credit: Kirk Livingston
conversation is an engine 
You’re right and I agree. … but today I would like to write my main employer a Jimmy Fallon-like thank you note for the blessing of working for them.
dirofpr
May 1, 2014 at 8:36 am
You should do it. But maybe reconsider before sending. Or post it on your blog.
kirkistan
May 1, 2014 at 8:40 am
Definitely one of those “mind-dump and then delete” writing exercises 🙂
dirofpr
May 1, 2014 at 8:46 am