Finding A Calling

In just four passages, the book Gig offers compelling insight on how people view the work they do. Ranging from a mother to a teacher, and a package delivery man to a Wal-Mart greeter, this brief but diverse cross-section of the workforce strongly suggests that, regardless of the position a person holds, the attitude with which that person regards work has a significant part in determining the satisfaction they extract from their labor.

For example, the mother of two explains that while her job as a mother is “all-consuming” and by far the “hardest job [she] has ever had,” she emphatically implies that she “doesn’t regret doing this thing [marriage] at all.” It is obvious from her emotional vignette that she loves her children, and that the sacrifices she has made thus far (a career in marketing, time with her husband, etc.), are easily dwarfed by the satisfaction she receives by raising her children. Although motherhood is most often not regarded as a job or a career, I challenge anybody to think of a more trying way to spend one’s time. However, because of the love with which this mother carries out her work, I can without reservation declare that she is answering to her calling. Overall, despite daunting workloads and a ceaseless cycle of work, the mother in this selection has found a calling to which she is easily able to assign meaning and derive satisfaction.

In contrast, the UPS driver freely admits that he finds very little solace or importance in the work he does. The man knowingly shirks his duties and stands in contention with management at every junction in his job. Unlike the mother of two, this driver abhors the idea of work and brings with him a destructive attitude towards his occupation. Because of his lack of bell hooks’s “right livelihood” or the Dalai Lama’s “higher meanings,” one can only assign his position as a job rather than a career or calling. In no way does he view his job as a career, and his emotional detachment signifies a lack of the intrinsic sanctity of a calling. Unfortunately, this UPS driver holds his job in contempt due to a detrimental attitude and a work environment devoid of positive reinforcement.

The other two workers, the Wal-Mart greeter and the 2nd grade teacher, have each found at least a meaningful career, if not a calling. Together, the greeter and the teacher embody the Dalai Lama’s sentiments as each develops their own love for their job. The greeter enjoys his work because of the smiles he can evoke, and the teacher is content in her position because of the innocent affection of children. Furthermore, though they differ in motive, each feels the unique impact of what they do. Overall, this satisfactory fulfillment that brings a person to love and enjoy work is the very definition of a calling.

In terms of my own work, I definitely seek to find a niche in life in which I am as content as the mother of two, as satisfied as the greeter, and as fulfilled as the teacher. For whatever profession I may find in the future, I hope it is the job most suited to give me a “right livelihood.”