On Work And Soul
What you’re about to read is written on the topic of work for the STSC Symposium
“If there’s one thing I detest doing, it’s work. Not because I’m lazy, I do work hard but more because It brings no joy to my soul. It doesn’t enrich my soul. But then you ask me the question “‘Isn’t writing, pottery, playing the guitar, working out and all these other stuff work?”’
“Well, those things are activities but I can’t consider them work. They’re doing more than producing an outcome. More than producing money.”
“Writing produces an outcome so does playing the guitar.”
“These activities enrich my soul though. They can’t be considered work.”
“I love my job and I don’t consider it work. I love it so much that while I’m at work I focus on it all day. ”
“You don’t focus on it when you get home right?”
“I try not to.”
“Okay good!”
“But how isn’t any other activities that you like Work, that confuses me. you’re working on your novella right now. Isn’t that work?”
“It enriches my soul. And I’ve never once considered writing work. I don’t wake up in the morning and say “I don’t want to write today.” I look forward to it. I reach for my notebook and begin to write, sometimes on my laptop. I would reach for a book, reading Candide at the moment or reach for my laptop and read a beautiful piece like The Unremitting Monedey.”
“Look above to those fools my friend leisure. One of them screams he hates me and loves you but without me, he wouldn’t have the books on his shelf, the laptop to read the Omnibus, that beautiful iPhone he just updated. He would have nothing without me. I heard he’s thinking of updating his laptop soon too. Without what I bring forth, he won’t get it.”
“That is true, he needs you for the money, that’s the only reason why he is with you! I, on the other hand, fuel him. He is fueled by the words he reads, the tunes he listens to, the paintings he looks at, his thoughts, and by wanting to get more out of life. He seeks to become a better man daily because of me not because of you. Man can’t live by bread alone the Lord says.”
“Then he shouldn’t say I have no life then Leisure! Without me, he wouldn’t be alive! He would be dead without food, and cast out by society.”
“Work!! It’s not that he’s cussing you! He is right in some way that you have no life. You suck the blood out of many. Many seek death because of you or because they are not with you, and many lose their wives because they can’t find you a lot of the time. I on the other hand enrich their soul which brings leads them to find you in a positive way.”
“It can’t be my fault that they find death or lose wives because of me. They’re just bad at being next to me. They dread me though they need me to survive.”
“Who knows work? There’s nothing you can do about it. The man above is by you 6 days a week and one day with me.”
“Besides the early mornings…”
“Again Work! You see you have a problem right? That’s why he says above that you have no life! Think about it…all you do is drain the soul out of them. All you do is give them the laptop, and the phones but you give them nothing else. The moment they gain something from you, they seek nothing else but to gain more. They can’t have a life outside of you which only leads them to sheol. That’s what the man above is complaining about. That’s why he loves and hates you. You bring forth good, but want more from them.”
“I see your point, but I only want them to feel good about themselves. I want them to be able to get what they want.”
“They will get what they want if they can have a life outside of you. He spends time with me in the morning because he enjoys it and wants to learn. Soon after that, he’s with you focusing on you. Let it be that way. You have no reason to want him to spend time with you 24/7. That’ll drain him of his soul.”
“I don’t want that. I understand, my friend. I hope they understand they can have time for the both of us.”
“What if I don’t consider my day job work? what if it’s enriching my soul?”
“Mate, let’s go read and enjoy a good book instead. I have 2 copies of the Inferno at my house.”
“Wonderful.”
Till Next Time,
Deo Volente
gkgaius
Love this.
I love the dialogue. It’s classic.