This post was written before I went to Burma. Written on the 13th of October 2009.
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I have recently have a lot of time to write and to ponder, mostly because I have a lot of time before I head of to Burma for 7 weeks. These couples of days have just been hanging out with family and friends. My last minute packing is finally done.
I was having a conversation with a few of my friends who are already at work. It feels pretty weird for me talking to them at times, mostly because I have yet to really work full-time while many of them are already working for a few months running. This gives me an edge, because I get a peek at what is there during working life. They are all so busy with their work that they do not even have time for themselves, their family and friends.
I had a friend told me that she sometimes has to work for 100 hours a week. Considering that there are 164 hours per week, she is basically working around 60% of the time. It totally amuses me. Why are people working so hard? Do they really need to? These questions have often been playing in my mind at times.
We as a generation are working so hard, but the real question is: Are we working towards something that truly matters to us?
The Normal Career Path
Let’s use the normal career path as an example. Let’s say a graduate enters into a job after graduating. The job starts out tough, having to work for 100 hours a week. But, he tells himself that the tough time would pass after struggling for a few years. He feels excited for having his first paycheck, but the job doesn’t really seem fun. A few months pass by and he still struggles in his job, often coming back late at night. Moreover, he sometimes even has to work during the weekends. His other time would be spending time with his colleagues. On weekends when he’s not working, he will be busy sleeping his days off because of the fatigue from the weekdays.On Mondays, the cycle continues for another week. He does not really find joy and fulfillment from this cycle, but he tells himself that things would be better.
As time flies, he realizes that it’s time for him to get a car and a house. He later buys them with a mortgage/loan in hand. Not realizing, he is tied down to his job because of the fact that he has to work in order to pay off the mortgage/loan. This creates a new cycle of making money, then using them to pay of the loan.
This cycle continues for some time. After paying of the car/house, he tells himself that he needs another car/house and the cycle continues. The cycle goes on and on until he realizes that the best time of his life is gone, paying a car/house and working for something which doesn’t really inspire him.
He has definitely worked hard.
The big question is: Has he found true fulfillment in his life?, despite working so hard. Read the rest of this entry »
