Comments on: Should Work Make Us Happy?

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:10:29 +0000

I am a general music teacher at an elementary school. As a teenager, I very much wanted to be a visionary jazz saxophonist. That didn’t work out, thankfully, so now I sing and play all day with children who think little of adult problems. It’s a wonderful job and one that suits me perfectly and is extremely fulfilling.I am lucky that I can “be as a child” as Christ wanted me to be. Though I’m married and own my own home, there’s a part of me that never did have to grow up!

By: SMatthewStolte

SMatthewStolte — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:40:04 +0000

“it is now so closely tied up with our identity that the first question we ask new acquaintances is not where they come from, but what they do.” This seems like poor reasoning to me. What we ask about new acquaintances is not that aspect of their lives that makes up their very identities. Doing so would probably be untoward and intimidating. Rather, we ask about something that is likely to have a tame response, but which is nevertheless likely to be interesting enough to facilitate more conversation. And since we know almost nothing about these people but guess that they’re liable to do something for a living (seeing as how they manage to go on living), we ask that. The same reasoning is applied to asking where someone is from. Everyone is from somewhere, even the unemployed. But the content of small talk tells us next to nothing about our deepest sense of identity, and what it does tell us is negative. The fact that we feel comfortable asking total strangers, “what do you do?” means that we aren’t so wrapped up in work that everything hangs in the balance. And if you don’t believe me, try a little experiment at a party. When you meet someone, instead of asking what he does for a living, ask him, “so, what are your deepest desires? What is it you are looking for in life? What will make you happy?” See how that goes over.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:02:52 +0000

I’m an engineer with an international technology company… as the company grew bigger over the last 10-years, the bureaucracy became increasingly soul-destroying… but now with 2 young kids, I keep at it so my wife can stay home with them, instead of supporting me while I search for a job to “make me happy”.

My 16-year old self thought engineering would be a career involving math & science… turns out it’s nearly as much politics and bean-counting. But without up-rooting my family to chase other opportunities, or impoverishing them to change careers, it’s the best we can do at the moment. Praise God I can provide for them still in the current economic turmoil…

By: Mark Renner

Mark Renner — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:26:15 +0000

My sixteen year old self was studying for the ordained ministry. I enjoyed golf as a sport/hobby. I have done ministry in a variety of settings, parish, institutional, and administrative within two Lutheran church bodies for 35 years, but now public ministry is my avocation. I am now mowing and playing a course of my own design. Deeply satisfying at a physical, social, and spiritual level in a way that the church has never been. Haven’t made much money at it but my body and soul are more alive in my 60′s than in any other decade of my experience. I have described it to close friends as my version of a hospitality cloister. I still love worshipping, proclaiming the word, and celebrating the sacrament, but I am free of the majority of what had become soul sucking for me in church. You can see my project at arguementgolf.com if you care to.

By: Ellyn

Ellyn — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:38:11 +0000

“Nobody says, “I want to be a church secretary when I grow up.” ”
My teenage self would be horrified. (My teenage self also never pictured me married with six children.)
And though the job oscillates between fulfilling and soul-killing with frightening regularity, I would have to say I might still wish to keep doing this even if the money were not necessary. So…that means I’m pretty happy!

By: Peter Johnson

Peter Johnson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:28:00 +0000

My job (making movies) is very fulfilling. My teenage self is all a twitter (no pun intended) with my current profession. Of course I don’t have any job security and there are no guarantees that I can provide for my family on a consistent basis. But I am very happy with what I do.

I would like to see people talk about the fact that there is no real split when it comes to “work/life” issues. It’s all life in my book.

Better yet…start a discussion on vocation as how you provide for a family.

By: Should Work Make Us Happy? » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Should Work Make Us Happy? » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:19:16 +0000

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By: dale

dale — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:53:03 +0000

It is called a “vocation” and it calls one to glorify God, provide for one’s family, and serve one’s community. It probably has little to do with happiness, but faithfulness in it will go a long way towards holiness.