Work & Meaning

Toil vs Calling

Niki,

Hi, thanks for joining the reflective dialogue. In looking at the German roots of the word "Work" you bring out some interesting themes. As you noted, the "Mühe" connotation focuses on toil, it's the "labor' side of work. Here we have to "do something" in order to "live" outside our work.

When you mentioned Luther's idea of "Berufung," or "calling," this gives work a sense of purpose, where we fit into the larger social fabric and play our role.

But neither really get at the dynamic nature of work as a process, and this is what fascinates me. Here's a question: When you wrote your note to our discussion, was it work, was it play or what was it?

It seems that you did some work in writing the thoughtful note, and the results (your work) was something that I can respond to. In a real sense, this suggests that "work" may be a "dialogue." Could this be?

Disney isn't funny!

Today's paper in Munich noted the computer animated film "Find Nemo" has grosed 260 million Euros, while at the same time Disney is laying off 260 cartoon animators, closing its Trickstudio in Orlando, after having already closed its animations studios in Tokyo and Paris.

These are all talented and highly creative people who will have to switch to painting or computer annimation work, or join the unemployed roles.

It awakens my biggest fear, with the efficiency of automation and computers, we can do so much more with so many fewer people. Will this mean that we will not have the job base to give people somewhat meaningful employment in the near future?

Is there any way out? (And withou having to be a Ludite?)

What is work?

I would welcome some reflection about the nature of work? Therefore, I'd like to start with the question, "What is work?"

We know that work implies "toil.'

Often we think of work as that for which we get paid.

And usually we distinguish between "work" and "play."

But in its essence, what is work?