Work Provides our Life with Content

Posted: November 27th, 2013

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Work Provides our Life with Content

People seek happiness and contentment in life in different ways. Some people try to find happiness by engaging in endless pleasure. Some go to an extreme extent to find this pleasure. Some perceive that they can only find it by engaging in substances such as drugs and alcohol, which shortly makes them forget about their troubles, struggles and misfortunes in life. Others find happiness and contentment in life through their families. They find their happiness and contentment in life by making others happy. They will often do whatever they can to make their families and loved ones happy. Working provides people with content and meaning in life. People are happier when they are working rather than when they are idle. People desire and prefer doing something that will occupy them. They cringe and avoid any instance where they will experience boredom. People are happier when they are busy even if they are forced to work (Hsee, Yang and Wang 928). One of the best ways through which people achieve happiness is by offering one’s services to others

People have worked from the beginning of time. Whether a person believes in the concept of creation or evolution, he or she will undoubtedly find that people worked for their living. Different religions note the importance of work. Christianity emphasizes that people should work and avoid laziness, adding that work is God’s gift to people. It further adds that people who do not work should not be allowed to eat. Jewish and Islamic teachings carry similar messages. They note the importance of work in people’s lives. None of those religions gives any place to idleness and laziness (Smith 110). Work is any activity, which gives people a feeling of significance in their lives. Work gives meaning to people’s lives. Although not a popular thought or practice, a person does not have to receive payment after working. For some people, the accomplishment they feel acts as their reward. People work for different reasons. Some people work out of a sense of duty or obligation. A good illustration of this is the service offered by the military when defending the country. Some work for the greater good of the society. This is seen in the services offered by people to help others, such as the ones who provide their services in times of disasters. Others work so that they can be rewarded over a given period. They work so that they can experience success, and be recognized for their achievements. In some cases however, people work so that they can fulfill their personal obligation and potential, and find fulfillment in life (Baumeister 110).

The importance of work cannot be reiterated enough. Work enables people to create the world which they will live in and which they will find their meaning. People are conditioned to live in a certain way and they would not be able to do this without work (Applebaum 492). Work is a way of defining people’s diversity. Each person has his or her own unique talents, gifts, passion and preferences. Work comprises the action of exploiting these talents and passions. People have to work so that they can live to fulfill their expectations in life. People define, and find their identity by working (Applebaum 503). This identity enables people to fulfill their purpose and potential, and by doing this, they find what they were meant to do in life. Knowing this enables the person to find contentment and fulfillment in life. Early thoughts about work emphasized the importance of physical exertion. People believed that true work consisted of doing activities that made one tired. This thought has however evolved in modern time. People have begun to see appreciate the emotional and psychological exertion as one of the forms of work.

Works Cited:

Applebaum, Herbert. The Concept of Work: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1992. Print

Baumeister, Roy. Meanings of Life. New York, NY: Guilford Press, 1991. Print

Hsee, Christopher, Adelle, Yang and Liangyan Wang. “Idleness Aversion and the Need for Justifiable Busyness.” Psychological Science 21.7 (2010): 926-930. Print

Smith, Gordon. Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. Print