dmp
Senior Member
As I think back to my childhood, I remember dressing up in my father's army clothes and playing soldier. Sometimes I'd play 'cowboys and Indians'. I'd lay in bed at night and dream about being an Astronaut. A Fireman. An adventurer reminiscent of zjenjess kahn. Never in my desires do I remember dreaming about becoming an 0301-category General Administrative person. I never longed to make copies. Never did I eagerly anticipate putting a PowerPoint presentation together. In fact, to the best of my memory, none of my friends ever dreamed about THEIR current jobs either. How many 7 year old boys want to be Network Administrators? How many little girls wanted to be Business professionals? No...Boys wanted to be heroes. Girls wanted to be mommies. That's about it.
Just a few minutes ago I was reading National Geographic, while getting paid to watch a copy machine reproduce slides to be given out at a meeting this afternoon. I read about a place in British Columbia where 'success' meant 'not dying'. I read about a people who valued only two things: Meat and Heat. Everything else was a luxury. There was something in the story which has stirred my soul a little bit. I'd bet my annual income working as a 'planner/action officer' is more than that entire community makes. However, in their story I saw what true success looks like. I saw people not distracted by what they can buy. I saw people who were living at the very basic roots of existence - and people who knew a happiness like no other.
Perhaps in our desire for 'progress' humankind has betrayed the very best things in life - our sense of living.
In all likelihood the feelings I have now will pass soon. I'll go back to clipping together papers which likely will be left on the table - yet I HAVE to put together JUST INCASE one guy decides he wants one, and we don't have any. I'll go back to spending tens of hours per week trying to anticipate and answer any question "The Boss" may have about ANY subject even remotely related to my project. I'll try to cover EVERY base - knowing 80% of my efforts will be wasted. But what if the General wants to know what the data looked like last year?? What if the General wants to see every version of every report I've done? What if he decides he doesn't like the shade of 'green' I picked out for the status markers?
(sigh).
I'm not really living. I'm not doing what I 'want' to do. I'm doing what I 'have' to do in order to provide money for my family. Wouldn't it be nice if providing for my family meant 'snagging a 300lbs caribou?' Or my wife 'finding a stash of berries to can before the bears or birds eat them'?
Yeah...that'd be pretty cool. That would be 'success'.
Just a few minutes ago I was reading National Geographic, while getting paid to watch a copy machine reproduce slides to be given out at a meeting this afternoon. I read about a place in British Columbia where 'success' meant 'not dying'. I read about a people who valued only two things: Meat and Heat. Everything else was a luxury. There was something in the story which has stirred my soul a little bit. I'd bet my annual income working as a 'planner/action officer' is more than that entire community makes. However, in their story I saw what true success looks like. I saw people not distracted by what they can buy. I saw people who were living at the very basic roots of existence - and people who knew a happiness like no other.
Perhaps in our desire for 'progress' humankind has betrayed the very best things in life - our sense of living.
In all likelihood the feelings I have now will pass soon. I'll go back to clipping together papers which likely will be left on the table - yet I HAVE to put together JUST INCASE one guy decides he wants one, and we don't have any. I'll go back to spending tens of hours per week trying to anticipate and answer any question "The Boss" may have about ANY subject even remotely related to my project. I'll try to cover EVERY base - knowing 80% of my efforts will be wasted. But what if the General wants to know what the data looked like last year?? What if the General wants to see every version of every report I've done? What if he decides he doesn't like the shade of 'green' I picked out for the status markers?
(sigh).
I'm not really living. I'm not doing what I 'want' to do. I'm doing what I 'have' to do in order to provide money for my family. Wouldn't it be nice if providing for my family meant 'snagging a 300lbs caribou?' Or my wife 'finding a stash of berries to can before the bears or birds eat them'?
Yeah...that'd be pretty cool. That would be 'success'.
