privilege

I am in a position of great privilege, of course, to even be asking questions about the state of work in our current age. I left my job during the pandemic because of the risks associated with the position. My husband was still working from home and we had enough in savings to cover our expenses. Most people did not have that option. Most people do not have all this time, like I do, to ponder on the big picture. I have hesitated to even speak about my doubts, because I know that a lot of people aren’t in a position to be able to question the status quo.

I have certainly felt the weight of the privilege in my life in the recent years, more than I ever have before. It is not comfortable, but that’s sort of the point. So far, the comfort of my life has been dependent on other people being much less comfortable in their lives. I should feel the heaviness of this, and the responsibility.

So, I not only want to ask these questions for myself, but for other people, too. People who are too busy and stressed to even think about the larger issues at play. If the pandemic had struck fifteen years ago, I would have been in a much different world of anxiety and stress. I know what it’s like to only have time to do the next thing in front of you, to have panic attacks in the middle of the night, to come to work wearing two different shoes because you’re so overwhelmed.

So, maybe what I’ll discover from my investigation is that I need a dose of reality. That work was never meant to be enjoyable, that life is hard. But, what if… there is a different course we could take? Does it hurt to look for it? Wouldn’t it be good to try?

I seem to think so. So, onward we go.