4 ms·

Think only problematic insomuch as your career doesn't equal your higher calling, i.e. your career is status driven or following the herd.

egypturnash 7y ago
My career is not a high paying one, or one that involves chasing trends. It is a thing I love doing and would be doing on the side if I had another career; I’ve done that in the past. It is still most of my life by default and this does feel like a problem. It is a differently shaped problem than “infinite overtime and trying to constantly present as Rich Enough” but it is a problem. (I am an artist who mostly draws independent long-form narrative comics.)
coldtea 7y ago
The problem is most careers don't really qualify as "higher callings". Originally "higher calling" meant a much more important (e.g. scientific, humanitarian, patriotic, artistic, priesthood, etc.) not some person working up a management career in some BS enterprise selling BS through marketing... So while a doctor might have his "higher calling" as career, I doubt that can be the case for the millions of corporate drones...
- cloverich 7y ago
  You might be surprised to find that many doctors fall into the very description in this article. Higher calling is a social construct and the reality is being a physician is a _lot_ of hours, a lot of BS, and a lot of patients who need self help more than your help. Its in most ways just like any other job, if you don't find some satisfaction in the actual work, you are going to be miserable. Many are.
  - coldtea 7y ago
    >the reality is being a physician is a _lot_ of hours, a lot of BS, and a lot of patients who need self help more than your help Sure. In the end though, you help people and occasionally save lives, you don't market and sell sugared soda water, nor are you a middleman in the paper market, or someone that devises new schemes to part people from their money via convincing ads, or tap away at some Dilbert style cube job. So it's more appropriate to be a higher calling (and has historically been seen as such by many doctors) than some cube job. Higher calling jobs still have drudgery and boring parts (plus useless bureaucracy to fight).

egypturnash 7y ago

My career is not a high paying one, or one that involves chasing trends. It is a thing I love doing and would be doing on the side if I had another career; I’ve done that in the past. It is still most of my life by default and this does feel like a problem. It is a differently shaped problem than “infinite overtime and trying to constantly present as Rich Enough” but it is a problem. (I am an artist who mostly draws independent long-form narrative comics.)

coldtea 7y ago

The problem is most careers don't really qualify as "higher callings". Originally "higher calling" meant a much more important (e.g. scientific, humanitarian, patriotic, artistic, priesthood, etc.) not some person working up a management career in some BS enterprise selling BS through marketing... So while a doctor might have his "higher calling" as career, I doubt that can be the case for the millions of corporate drones...

cloverich 7y ago
You might be surprised to find that many doctors fall into the very description in this article. Higher calling is a social construct and the reality is being a physician is a _lot_ of hours, a lot of BS, and a lot of patients who need self help more than your help. Its in most ways just like any other job, if you don't find some satisfaction in the actual work, you are going to be miserable. Many are.
- coldtea 7y ago
  >the reality is being a physician is a _lot_ of hours, a lot of BS, and a lot of patients who need self help more than your help Sure. In the end though, you help people and occasionally save lives, you don't market and sell sugared soda water, nor are you a middleman in the paper market, or someone that devises new schemes to part people from their money via convincing ads, or tap away at some Dilbert style cube job. So it's more appropriate to be a higher calling (and has historically been seen as such by many doctors) than some cube job. Higher calling jobs still have drudgery and boring parts (plus useless bureaucracy to fight).