W-O-R-K. Reading those four letters, what feelings arise?
In this issue we ponder a common perception that work is “a four-letter word” and ask if it has to be so. We will briefly touch on how these impressions have come about and explore alternate perspectives, understandings, and perhaps appreciations for this oft maligned four-letter word. At the same time, we remember that we, and most or all our audience for this newsletter, are rather fortunate to have more options than many in the world have. We are, in every way, privileged to even embark on this conversation.
Historically work has been equated with hardship. Let’s not forget the punishment for “eating of the tree of knowledge” – for the woman it was the pain of childbirth and for the man it was work “by the sweat of your face.” Clearly, God was not likely to be a particularly inspiring life and career coach! The brutal enslavement of people goes back thousands of years and continues to this very day around the world. (Note: For our Richmond, Virginia friends, please try to see the exhibit “Elegy” by Dawoud Bey at VMFA; it is an intense emotional experience of sound and photography but closes on February 25, 2024.) For these individuals, work was/is punitive and rulers and “owners” work people of all ages to their death through horrific conditions, brutality, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Depending upon how one defines “slavery,” it is estimated that more than 50,000,000 are currently enslaved.
Even when people are not enslaved, much of work has been and still is, as Eyal Press wrote, “dirty work.” In the formative years of the US, groups of people travelled across barren landscapes for weeks and months experiencing famine and disease to try to survive, homestead, and create a new and potentially better life. The eerie photographs of Dorothea Lange capture the later hardship of depression era migrants, dustbowl refugees, and the urban homeless during the early twentieth century. Her haunting work can be viewed here: https://dorothealange.museumca.org/section/depression/.
Even as the US advanced, authoritative and capitalistic bosses force laborers to work long hours without breaks, adequate safety equipment, or fair wages giving rise to labor unions for a voice of protection and justice – a need that prevails today.
No wonder the word elicits negative connotations! Yet is there another way to think about work that may present an opportunity for an alternate perception?
Have you ever gone to one of those science museum displays where you observe bees flying to and from the nest producing honeycombs and honey? They are industrial powerhouses designed for this work of endless production. Or look at the leafcutter ant that carries much more than their weight as they travel long distances to make a home. These insects may be different from us humans, but there is a delight in seeing them perform tirelessly. Their DNA seems to be programmed to do this work!
Then there are humans who day-to-day tirelessly teach children at school, help patients in hospitals, homes, rehab centers and hospice, who take on increasingly complex and challenging issues in the name of work. Those of us on the benefitting side would not dare to say that their performance was a four-letter word! We owe them great gratitude and appreciation for what they do day after day.
There are the artists, the actors, the photographers, the creatives who often lose track of time doing their work as they get entrenched and immersed in the development of something expressive. The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi refers to this experience as “flow”, a state of mind where time is suspended and mental focus is heightened to the job at hand. Athletes report this as well when they are training or performing.
Many of us may not be in direct care giving or creative group, yet can we pause and re-think about work? Can we take a moment and appreciate that we have brains that allow us to dissect complex issues and problems? That our bodies allow us to move and travel as required with our jobs? That we get paid for what we do which allows us to have a better lifestyle? Can we remember the positive feelings around a “job well done”? Can we reinvent our approach to work and do what we can to make all work environments humane?
Somehow the news lately begrudges work, and there are plenty of examples and cases where that begrudging is warranted; however, there are also many reasons to be grateful that we can work, that we get paid to do work, and that we have choices in what type of work we desire to do and in which places we chose to do that work. Work shouldn’t define us, but it is a part of who we are and embracing that part of us, like the honeybee, may offer a bit of sweetness.
Activity
Think about the current work that you do professionally. To what degree does it utilize your skills? To what degree does it allow you some independence in the way that you do the work? To what degree does it allow you creativity? Does it provide you with a decent lifestyle?
If the answers to the above are yes, or close to yes, these are things to be grateful for. If there are too many “no” answers, perhaps it is time to think of a change.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this issue of the ka-tet and suggestions for future issues, and if you enjoy, please feel free to share.
As always, thank you for reading, for your loyalty, for your connection to us.
Stay curious, stay well.
Jim and Linda
* Ka-tet - A group of people bound together by ka (destiny) for a sense of purpose. Credit: Stephen King from his novel, The Gunslinger.
TEO Ka-tet is the property of James Burke and Linda Pierce operating as TEOconsulting, LLC
https://teoconsulting.org/
Love this deep dive into work. It reinforces my feelings that we should stop referring to those who are employed as the "workforce." Forced to work? How about different vocabulary? I like the insect metaphors. They rise up, they get moving. They seem urged but not forced.