Worked Up

The work ethic is a nefarious term used to push forward excess work without adequate compensation.

Drugs are not good for your system. Alcohol makes your liver party itself to death, cocaine makes you regret your choices, heroin tears off your tissues, and meth makes even the 9/10 dentists from Colgate surrender. Anything in excess is bad, even water, but unlike hard drugs, one does not get easily addicted to water. It is the insidious nature of hard drugs to create a dependency on the user and then into an abuser (unintentional rhyming, but let's go with that)

"Luckily, I am a good kiddo who has abstained from all these kinds of stuff. I am cleaner than a crystal, and I don't mean crystal meth", You say while sipping on your 7th cup of coffee since the morning. However, it is excellent if it is Audible Coffee (who said the self-insert promotion is a lost art?)

Even those who abstain from any addictive substances are 'addicted' to something which keeps them moving forward. Status, money, power, contentment…..people can't move forward till they are drunk on one thing which fuels their reason to live. And one of those things is money. Money is power. Money is status. Money is dominance. All of this holds true in any form of economic society. So start working and earn your salary.

It is commonly said that 'the journey is what matters, not the end. Then shouldn't the journey to make a living be more fulfilling?

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The work ethic is one of the most weaponized facets in our lives, and it is easily recognizable. There are hardly any activities that see as much incessant devotion, time and commitment as people give to their work. But if workplace exploitation is so common with extra-long hours and lack of adequate financial compensation, why is it that people still continue to work under these conditions?

Multiple reasons can be attributed to this. The most obvious is the fragility of the job market, which already takes immense preparation and the acquirement of highly specialized skill sets. And in some cases, highly specialized general skills as well.

The other insidious reason is the acceptance that long hours of continuous work have to be done to satisfy a coveted work ethic. If followed for a substantial amount of time, this work ethic is rewarded with financial compensation and promotion. The reward consists of mainly two things, 1) Higher pay and 2) Higher status wrapped under even more responsibility and mostly; as a result, longer working hours.

While most people desire a higher position in a company due to the allure of money, most people stay in their post due to the status given to the person. This intoxicating allure of power drives most of the sacrifices people take up. Whether it's worth it or not depends on the individual's luck and attitude.

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With respect to the question said before, regarding the acceptance of long and unfulfilling jobs, there is another reason for it. And that reason is the innate desire for order, structure, and ordinance. Jobs provide it in various ways, including a fixed schedule, salary, methodical operations etc. Any well functional corporation and/or social institution provides and implements processes that align people towards specific tasks and objectives.

Having a well-defined goal keeps one sane, and jobs provide precisely that, a well-defined goal, generally speaking. It's a whole different can of worms when your job drives you insane, and that has mostly to do with either a lack of competence and understanding in your organization or in you. Sometimes a bit of both.

For many, changing jobs is a messy and painstaking affair. Because when things are in order, it becomes difficult to move from them. There is solace and comfort in orderly things, even if they are no particularly favourable. In a world where the fetishization of 'hustling' and 'getting on the grind' permeates our culture through scammy and scummy reels and shorts, most people tend to play it safe. Simply because there is way too much uncertainty. Uncertainty about future events that rely on external factors that sometimes a person can do nothing but feel completely and utterly helpless. This uncertainty manifests itself in many ways, with anxiety being the most common, and it is no big secret that people don't like being anxious.

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The pursuit of generating private profits has been hijacked by a manipulative work ethic that has led to workers forgetting that work is supposed to be fulfilling and not something, which leads to stress, worry and anxiety. Your work should satisfy your desire to do something meaningful, significant and consequential. Not just for society, but most importantly, for you.

The first step to do so is to acknowledge if you are stuck. Whether your job compensates you enough not just in monetary terms, but overall satisfaction. Truth be told, it is not easy to change your job if you feel you need to get something better. If you truly desire it, then it is a great idea to build your competence to the point you become irreplaceable.

The idea of building competence is nothing new, but often people forget it while being sinking under a quagmire of work. Surely one can work harder and harder, digging deeper and deeper, only to dig her/his own grave in the end. And it wouldn't even matter.

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