"Work and the Dalai Lama"

Far from offering a concerted, definitive voice, these selections present two very conflicting, polarized views on the idea of work. The Dalai Lama asserted that any sort of work can become rewarding if the labor is aligned with a higher purpose or calling. To this heralded spiritual leader, “there is always a way” to bring meaning to one’s work. Be it through “helping and supporting one’s family,” or in terms of one’s “role in society,” the Dalai Lama spoke to his belief that every job, career, or calling can have meaning. However, in stark contrast to these sentiments stands bell hooks, who instead argues that many people (and specifically black women) view their work only “as a way to make money.” Perhaps because of the discrimination and hardship she faced in her childhood, bell hooks presents a view of work completely devoid of the possibility of the spiritual attachment so fervently proposed by the Dalai Lama. From her perspective, and from her time spent observing others, she has found that work is all too often a thing feared and dreaded. Painfully, hooks concedes that while many people have found in their work meaning and importance, most of her black female acquaintances still cling to a bleak outlook of work.

Interestingly, my experiences at work have conflicted in ways much the same as these passages. In one instance, I found myself at a minimum wage job in the service industry, in a position much the same as those faced by the people of which bell hooks wrote. At this job, I had no passion for my work, and I felt strongly that the time I spent working lacked meaning and contribution on society as a whole. However, in another job where I spent my time and effort helping disadvantaged people, I began to recognize the impact I was having. It was at this position that I began to have feelings of spiritual importance that agreed more fully with the Dalai Lama’s opinion of work. Incidentally, the experience at these two positions has given me the wherewithal to see the validity and uniqueness in each of the claims made by these people. Neither the Dalai Lama nor bell hooks can unequivocally support their own views because each was derived from differing perspectives. Furthermore, I believe this to be true of most ideas of work. In no one position can a person fully understand the idea of work. For hooks, it was toil and pain, and yet for the Dalai Lama, work had the potential to be infinitely satisfying and meaningful. Overall, these selections have only served to reinforce the fact that differing perspectives can mightily influence how one perceives and understands work.

I suppose that as I become more acquainted with the phenomenon of work, I will be better able to accurately qualify what work means to me. As of now, I can only hope that the future brings with it work that I find meaningful, significant, and challenging.

Also, an interesting management theory that correlates to finding meaning in work is the American psychologist David McClelland's "Three Need" Theory.