Tim Kreider’s 2022 essay with the title “It is time to stop living the American scam”, summons reflection – not only for Americans but for all of us who have bought into the idea of hard work (perhaps over smart work?).
Itself, is a reflection on a decade-old essay by the same author titled “The busy trap”, and the events/his observations of the world in those 10 years between the two essays.
A point of reflection for me, which is also something I have battled, for at least the last three or four years, maybe even longer: do we do work for the sake of it and its direct benefits (ability to buy things and by a stretch the ability to create wealth) or as a means to live a fulfilled life (where each is free to define fulfilment). To be honest, I have failed to reach a conclusion. As, purely doing things that fulfil one may run contrary to the orders of civility and may impinge on the wellbeing of others. And should everyone live by that creed, would we not have anarchy?
A near direct opposite may be to mindlessly drudge on, and do whatever one is told or that one has determined to be the requirement for maintaining one’s place in society. But what happens when/if despite that, society fails to keep its promise? Would it be too late to find fulfilment? Or does one just accept the hands dealt him/her and possibly become bitter and see nothing good anyone?
A position I might have maintained given “my confusion” is to maintain a hybrid view of work. I seize or attempt to seize every opportunity to create something that brings me fulfilment (I have been known to go as far as crossing boundaries of organisational hierarchy to get stuff done and apologise afterwards rather than wait endlessly for permission) and sometimes, too, I simply toe the line – in the hope that something great emerges – especially one that does emerge despite our efforts to the contrary.
Whilst I sometimes feel I have paid dearly for each end of the spectrum I have adopted – at least once, I cannot excuse the feeling of satisfaction each brings in its own time and place: the former gives me the joy of knowing I have done something that made me happy or that I know to be right and that may have improved the odds for someone else; the latter, allowed me the opportunity to enjoy pretend celebrations for dedicating time, energy and corporate resources to a needless venture that has changed nothing but met a meaningless KPI – a soon to be forgotten KPI, but one that rubs the ego of corporate (and sometimes, cultural) gatekeepers happy!
And whilst the former has a sole gatekeeper – myself (and by extension those to whom I have submitted to hold me accountable), the latter has fancy gatekeepers, who sometimes do not understand or know what is behind the gate they are keeping but notwithstanding adeptly keeps the gate to the point that their only expertise is gatekeeping and not productivity (I often wonder what their retirements would look like. What stories they will share with their grandchildren).
That said, I am gravely unsure if it has to be one or the other. But, I am firm in my conviction that each can determine the best mix of both (and the many in-betweens and extremes) to live a life they would be proud of.
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Notes: I am grateful to Gbenga Sesan, for sharing Tim Kreider’s Essay with me and the rest of the world.
