Dialectic Two-Step – Can We Find Satisfaction In The Rat Race?
Dialectic Two-Step is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.
Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio Paz
Can We Find Satisfaction In The Rat Race?Question: Is it possible to escape the monotony of the modern day rat race? Do people, especially young adults, still find intrinsic value or satisfaction in their work?
Response: The answer to this question at a very high level is one about responsibility and opportunity. We are responsible for our own happiness. We are responsible for assigning value and satisfaction in our work. We are also deeply dependent on our circumstances and opportunity. It’s a balance and its uncertain.
On one extreme you might consider a developmentally disabled person who is born in a third world country. Their opportunities for satisfaction and meaningful work are extremely limited.
On the other hand there is the handsome, intelligent, child of a wealthy philanthropist who has the opportunity to change the world in truly meaningful ways.
We have no control over many of our circumstances. My wish to be the latter did not come through! However we do have the ability to and control over seeing value and finding satisfaction in our lives. My advice is to look deeply for it and it will be there.
There are a couple of things that I’ve found bring satisfaction and value to my life:
Helping othersMeditatingOpening my eyes to the inherent beauty of the world.I’ve been lucky in that I’m able to do these things in the work that I do.Get Each Week's Dialectic Two Step in your email box.mc4wp-form input[name="_mc4wp_required_but_not_really"]{display:none !important}
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