Part 2: Part's Revenge
I thought that I would have tons more to say on this subject, but I suspect that my interest in it is quickly draining.
I ended the last post touching on money. That is what a job's all about, right? You have to make money to live. But that's hardly enough in society's eyes. You have to make lots of money, so that you can afford the consumer electronics that Dr. Phil is advertising in his episode that somehow benefits families with fathers serving in Iraq. Media constantly bombards us with advertising in every format. Radio is just commercials for cars and phone plans, lightly interspersed with commercials for CDs that will make your friends think you're cool. TV, film and fashion are no different, for the most part. How many times have I passed by frat boys proudly advertising that they spent $20 on a t-shirt that's made to look vintage while still bearing the logo of the store it's bought from? Consumerist ideals sounds like a good discussion topic for another time, and I'm getting away from my point here, so back to talking about jobs.
You need money to live comfortably, at the very least. Talking to my mother about the subject, retirement seemed to be the most important thing a job could offer. Fair enough, you want to live comfortably, retirement can help you with that. When I told her of my plans to move boxes for a living, she replied with: "40 years is a long time to move boxes". She was right.
40 years is a long time to move boxes.
40 years is a long time to be a rocket scientist.
Hell, 40 years is a long time to be a movie star.
Y'know what? 40 years is a long time.
It doesn't really matter how you slice it, you're likely to work for longer than you'd care to. Undoubtedly, you are going to find dissatisfaction in whatever you're doing. Ideally, you won't commit suicide, and will instead work through it and persevere. The fact of the matter is that only a small fraction of people can make a living doing what they love, the rest have to either love what they do, or be miserable. It's not that I don't believe Phil would study physics even with no financial gain to be seen, it's just that I didn't want to talk about that because it didn't represent the side of the argument I wanted to explore.
Ironically enough, I'm still likely to pursue a carreer in the police force. I don't want to hand out speeding tickets all day, or work in a high school and stain the reputation of law enforcement for a whole generation. I don't want to sit in a courtroom or behind a desk waiting for my pension to kick in. I don't want to be a Policeman.
What do I want to be when I grow up?
I want to be happy.
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