I don’t like employment but do I hate work? No. Sometimes this is necessary, and even for the rich and wealthy, it can be a very good way to clear the mind and actually do something relaxing.
Gardening is a perfect example.
Albeit, what becomes of the person who MUST labour every day, day in and day out, just to survive, and even worse, labouring at something that he or she has no passion for – just to survive…
Labour is good for the soul. It helps us keep our body and mind in shape. Every man and woman, all of us, should have a little bit of labouring in our schedules since we have been designed for the tasks. In some way, we should be working out to help keep ourselves fit.
But – when labouring becomes the very essence of our being, taking up most of our time and energy, with little or no satisfaction, this author believes something is imbalanced here. Something is not right with our lives. There is a difference between labouring to keep ourselves fit and labouring because our very survival depends on it. The latter is called “slavery.” If at will as in employment, this is called “wage slavery.”
This is something we should endeavour to work our way away from. This is NOT good for the soul. When it gets in the way of trying to move forward in life, it is more of a debilitation than helpful.
Many, many of us who work for a living are ensnared. We are trapped in a lifestyle we do not want.
Employment is very characteristic of this type of plague in life. What causes this?
Lack of Education
“But I’ve got a Master’s Degree!” Yes, you do. Albeit, what have you got along with that? Exorbitant student loan debt to contend with for much of your live trying to pay it down? Did you get the job you were trying to get with the education you got?
Today, with the lack of jobs available for young students coming out of college for which they have acquired the education for, how many of these are waiting tables and cleaning toilets? How many are doing jobs they have not studied for – because they could not get the job they went in for?
This is not the education I’m talking about. Education we get from public school and higher education do very little about teaching its students about money and entrepreneurship. They teach you how to become well-rounded employees and professionals (which amount to little more than self-employment.)
At best, with this kind of learning, you may become a managerial entrepreneur. That’s not a true entrepreneur and it’s a scary thing! Some may become CEOs of a company but they do not own the company. They’re still employees.
However, for most who go to college with a gleam in their eyes, most will experience an snuffing-out of that gleam. It is said that out of all those who go to school, only about 5% make the grade, not in academic grades, but in reaching a point in life where they do not have to depend on labouring to survive.
Two Personal Examples
My brother has cancer. It is not treatable, therefore, it is terminal. Sick as my brother is now, he still must report for work, as long as he is physically-able to. Sad. Very sad that he can’t have this time to himself to get what enjoyment he can out of life except that he must support his household. Noble as that is, my brother has not gotten the right kind of education, not only to life life beyond that of most people, but that he could not get the kind of health care that might have prevented the terminal stage of his cancer.
I too, am still trapped in the labouring aspect of living life. I would give anything to be able to work in the garden without the liability of having to do it. I would give anything to be able to not have to work in laborious jobs on someone else’s schedule, having to wear myself out every day so that my yard work responsibilities do not suffer.
I had two days off besides the weekend this week. On top of hearing of my brother’s status when my sister called me at the beginning of this “vacation,” I had to spend nearly every moment in it getting the yard back in order. As of now, I have an hour before I must report to work. The yard still is not as it should be.
Exercising the “other” education I have gotten over time became impossible. I’ve come short on my work. It ate up my entire time off. My brother disturbs me and I’ve not been in the right mind. Just like him, I had to continue working regardless. I could not stop at will as this act of freedom would put me in harm’s way.
I’m trapped. None of the efforts towards freeing myself up could be done. This has been the struggles in my life. Not having a job and not proficient enough yet to make my living doing something I’m passionate about doing puts me on the street. I’ve had it happen a couple times. It’s not fun being homeless.
I’m forced by circumstances to find work. I’m not employed, but I have been doing the labor thing, day in and day out, under the table. It pays the bills, but it also burns me out. Be it as it may, I’ve still found ways to get in the education I need to move beyond the employment world. Even beyond this, I will keep physically-active. It’s much better to be helpful doing things others can’t do than to be stuck in a job for survival.
What Do I Get for My Efforts?
I have had enough education in the other camp. That being learning the ways of an entrepreneur, I’ve begun making money with it. The idea here is to begin building a business in something I enjoy doing. For me, it’s writing and creating works of art.
For most people, this is a hobby. I want more than just a hobby. I want it to be a way of life for me.
Because most people see this sort of thing as a hobby, I find myself facing naysayers quite often. Sometimes that gets pretty bitter. They will close in on you if you allow them. It can go so far as to become a situation with sanctions attached. It has for me.
“I don’t want your money. You have a full-time job by the end of the month or get out!”
Yes, I’ve had this happen to me. The sanction was lifted when my landlord and his son went at it about it.
What’s In This Message?
Negative as this is, you will not be happy if you continue to live your life as a wage slave, having to report to a job every single day, doing face time on someone else’s terms, robbing you of most of your family life. Stop being someone else’s robot. Stop being their machine. There are ways to break out of this kind of entrapment. It’s all up to you. You must take control of your life. It is not an easy road. It is not for the weak at heart. There will be lots of disappointments, discouragements and people trying to tell you off about it.
Many today who are wealthy and own highly-lucrative businesses today, those who spend their days creating businesses and jobs, for others who care not about becoming entrepreneurs, have been through it.
I know where I am going. I have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. To think of seeing myself with a uniform on, washing dishes and being a good boy working hard for my employer is audacious to me. I will do it if it is expedient and give my employer above and beyond as my ability affords, but it’s not my way of life to remain in this kind of lifestyle. I’m psychologically-unemployable, though, it isn’t beyond me to do the work.
Do it as it is expedient now, but on the side, begin to build a business. Don’t go the way my brother has had to go. He can’t enjoy the rest of his short life. He has to give it up to some insidious employer who cares not for the personal lives of his employees. If you have it in you to move forward and come out of that miserable existence, begin right now.
Above all, I will tell you right now…
You don’t need the negativity that comes from taking an honest effort to going above and beyond the life of a wage-slave, and there’s nothing wrong with NOT working for your money. It just takes education. However, you need to shut up about it! Not saying this to be disrespectful, but if you don’t you will have others try to pull you down from the clouds.
Now the above link does require you to create a free membership to read the article there. There are no strings attached, but I strongly encourage you to first read the article on there, but whilst you are there, take a look around. It might be what you’re looking for to break the monotony.
Cheers,
Daniel
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