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You Call That a Job?

Better Ask Society First

By Eric DurlandPublished 5 years ago 11 min read
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Anza Borrego, CA

(VLOG posted at bottom for those who prefer to watch and listen rather than read.)

Let's talk about jobs.

For starters, what is a job?

Does a job have to be physically or mentally strenuous?

Well, no...

Okay... Does a job have to be part of a team?

Sure, it can be! But it doesn't have to be...

Hmm... Does a job have to occupy a certain amount of our day?

No, not at all—so long as we make the necessary incentives to live our perception of a satisfactory life...

Jesus, man! Well, what is it then that defines a "job?!" Because, as far as I can tell, a job is defined as "work" that brings home incentives... Which is very much backed by my Oxford American Dictionary, defining a "job" as: "1: a paid position of regular employment."

But, wait a minute! What if I started recycling bottles and cans from the side of the highway everyday... Is that a job? Or what if I make my own jewelry and sell it on the beach... Is that a job? Or what if I play my guitar outside of a bar regularly... Is that a job? Or what if I've written two dozen manuscripts, dedicated thousands of hours of my time to pursuing my dream and passion of becoming a published author, but an agent hasn't signed on to publish any of them... Is that a job? Because, apparently, as per society's standards, that time I spent on those manuscripts, or on that jewelry, or playing that guitar, or recycling wasn't a "job" at all... Despite the fact three out of four of those examples being done regularly and being compensated with incentives, thus fitting the dictionaries definition of a "job."

Ergo, I think a big part missing from this definition is, "...and shows the status quo—whose judgement we all unconsciously fear more than anything else—that we are complacently conforming to the system that presently enslaves us; providing the ability to pay taxes, to rent a home and to generally feed the self-serving system, and those most profiting from it." Because, unless I'm working at a recycling center, not just recycling rubbish on my own, that isn't considered a "job" to our status quo. In-fact, on the contrary, it is actually a justifiable reason to judge and discriminate—to assert one's dominance via triumph—against a given soul. Quite the same, unless I open a store and start selling my jewelry, that isn't considered a job. In-fact, it doesn't matter how much time I do anything—like spending thousands of hours writing a fiction series. If I am not compensated for my work with incentives, if the work is not approved by the status quo, it isn't a "job," and I wasn't "working" for those thousands of hours... period.

Thus, my question to you becomes, in our so very (allegedly) not broken system: How come some people—most often labeled by our status quo as "cool," "popular," or generally "socially clean"—get to teach paint & sip classes, surf, play baseball, rock-climb, cook, play music, explore unexplored terrain, and in some instances, get paid godly amounts of money to do so; but the homeless man who surfs all day, or whittles breathtaking crafts, or plays his guitar outside of a bar—who has been dubbed by this same status quo as a "loser," a "failure," "weird" and "socially unclean"—is "weak" and "lazy," and these don't count as jobs? Regardless if that homeless individual is the best guitarist, the best whittler or the best surfer on the planet...

How do we perfect our trade—what we would be most happiest doing in this life—if we aren't dedicating a majority of our time to it? How do we become that rock-climber that eventually "makes it" because they free-climbed the wall no one has ever climbed if they weren't climbing everyday? Or, how do we become that author that perfects all those manuscripts to industry standards if we aren't working at it every second that we feel motivated to? Yet, instead, in this system of incentivized slavery—which tells us that we must "work" if we want to thrive, period—we waste all our lives fearing taking that daunting step to pursue our passions just because our ignorantly judgmental status quo—who controls who gets to "make it" and who doesn't—doesn't see any worth in our passion in the early stages of it's development. This status quo whom would of course rather us be where it makes them happiest—by being a cog of the machine that feeds their pockets—rather than have us do what makes us happy and fulfills us at the deepest level with meaningful purpose.

Take, for example, myself just the other day.

Now, I myself am very much "homeless" and "jobless" (by definition and by choice)—as I live on the road out of my car, I possess a depleting bit of savings that certainly isn't going up in a way I'd like it to, and I am certainly not conforming to the system that presently is certainly trying with tooth and nail to see me wither away, or forces me to submit to it. As the status quo does with anyone who fights against it.

Well, on this particular day: I woke up with the sun peaking over Mount Laguna, I made some hot cereal and I immediately started working on my blog/VLOG. (Wait, should I say "working?" Because as per societies standards, I'm not "working..." I'm homeless and jobless...) Anyways, I worked on my blog straight until 11 AM, chatted for about an hour with two park services rangers, made lunch and then I was (working?) again straight through 3 PM. Which is when I realized I was being unfair and selfish to my kid (Jumper), so I decided I wouldn't skip our daily, give or take, two hour hike simply because I was on a roll with my (not) work, and did that instead. Well, when we finished, I made dinner, then was again immediately at (work?). My goal being to finish before sunset so I could drive the three miles to where I get sufficient service to do the final touches to my blog (which have to be done online) and still have time to let my video upload to various social media platforms. But, wait. ...Here I am, lying in my tent with my laptop beside me, three rechargeable batteries, my phone still in my hand and my (not) work for the day still unfinished. It is 8:30 PM, and besides breaking for a total of, let's say, three hours, I've now (not) been working for just about 11 hours... What gives!

You see, the way I see it, just because I haven't gotten lucky enough to get noticed (yet) by someone who can shine a light onto the merit of my content, why is my hard (not) work any different from the athlete that trains all day for their given sport? Or, better yet, why is my hard (not) work any different from the woman who gets paid to blog/VLOG weekly? Because they're earning incentives and I'm not? Because they're "better"—more triumphant—than I am? Because they've conformed to the Game of Triumph and embody all they're told they're supposed to embody—all that makes this world hollow, selfish, egocentric and duplicitous—by the status quo like good subservient cogs? [Shaking my head] Thus, why does someone else deserve to be able to follow their passions as a "job," and others can't?

I believe this is the moral dilemma of our time, and the primmest example as to why America's perverted version of capitalism—the "right" to the pursuit of "happiness" and "equal" opportunity—is utterly failing. Because there is no "right" to the pursuit of happiness, and there is certainly no "equal" opportunity. As we as parents selfishly horde social connections and assets for ourselves solely to cement our own self-indulgent triumph, rather than sharing them selflessly so everyone can reach their goals and dreams. As we selfishly use others to build our thrones of social dominance. As we childishly deflect and deny any and everything we embody—our lives pains, our disappointments and dissatisfaction—that could be used against us to degrade said social dominance. Viola, and here we are, living in a reality where only the triumph privileged have access to the best resources, the best teachers and all the assets in the world to see their offspring reach their goals—whilst everyone else is pitted to fight like savage animals to become one of these triumph privileged.

You know what I find most ironic, on another note? That "jobs"—unemployment—is a hot topic for our presidents and politicians—as they pump out a hundred-thousand jobs, wave their hand and say, "Look, I'm such a great politician—we've told you that you need a "job," so I've given you jobs!" (...What the, hay?) Whilst the epidemic that is plaguing our society is staring them right in the face and they haven't the slightest care to acknowledge it—the fact that millions and millions of people don't want to work those jobs because they don't want to be a part of our tainted society, or they generally don't care to work jobs that are meaningless to their soul's, and, in turn, they are living in slums or on the streets; forced to join gangs to find a sense of safety and acceptance; they don't have the ability to be properly educated even if they wanted it (which they tend not to); and they are suffering both physical and mental disease such as PTSD, addictions, anxieties and depressions. And what this reveals to at least one man, is these presidents and politicians don't truly give the slightest damn about anyone but their own levels of triumph via checking all the boxes to make sure their facade of caring for people is just over the satisfactory bare minimum line—as they forge their legacy based entirely in lies and deception, rather than attacking the true epidemic stated above: the fact that our system is so unjust—is so broken—that some can lavishly live like gods, whilst everyone else rots and withers.

Something tells me here that the homeless person—who chooses not to waste their entire life slaving away as an incentivized slave to a job they may, perhaps, justify as their passion, but is in-reality meaningless to the yearnings of their heart—has got it figured out way better than most the rest of us. Because the rest of us, we are being played like fiddles—and the worst among us most controlling the status quo, and with the most proficient knowledge of all I'm trying to relay you, know it. Because this system we've built—based entirely in selfish competition—is nothing less than corrupt and self-serving as to allow those who are most willing to apply maximal effort to this clandestine, unrighteous and immoral war for Triumph to thrive, whilst furthermore making the selfish system work solely for themselves. Whilst once it works for themselves, they selfishly pat themselves on the back because they've "made-it," and stop trying to help the system help others "make it," too... Which is why the system is failing. Because any system based in selfish competition—based in survival of the fittest—and a belief that we are all separate standalone entities, is a failing system polluted with caste, war, deception, corruption, and thus, crime, mass terror, suicide, poverty, homelessness, addiction, and slums.

This is what we must change moving forward. Because only when we understand that all sentient life is in fact one team, within one Universe, that forms the entirety of one Divine Consciousness, will we forge the utopia we were always fated to forge... No one should be working a job just to work a job. In-fact, no one should be doing anything in this life that isn't in pursuit of their passions and doesn't fill them with purpose at the deepest level. And within a system that isn't a failing system, that system would offer a plethora of avenues for every soul to have access to all they need to see their consciousness thrive—all of which we can provide: the personal confidence, the social or financial resources, the comfort to know that one can learn at their own pace and they don't have to meet certain societal standards that generally bar nontraditional learners from pursuing a given avenue, etc.

But the fact of the matter remains, until we lift the veil from our eyes and witness for ourselves our present state of incentivized slave; until we make this massive shift in consciousness: war will continue to ravage our planet; corruption, greed, ego, duplicity, pettiness, selfishness and superficiality will continue to be the clandestine statement of our status quo; and we will continue to Fall as a society.

humanity
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About the Creator

Eric Durland

My only goal is to say all the things you don't want to hear, to make you think about the things you don't want to think about.

All I offer you is the truth.

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