Earworm
Write whatever you normally write about, and weave in a book quote, film quote, or song lyric that’s been sticking with you this week.
What do I normally write about it? I normally write about whatever piques my curiosity or gnaws on my brain stem. Or raises my ire. Or whatever. Today, I am going to write about jobs and the search for them. I have a job, so that’s good. But I am looking for another job in order to augment my income. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it sure can come in handy. Especially when the number of mouths in your house increases. Human mouths, not insects or rodents, although you need money to take care of that, too. Jobs are strange in our world. Most jobs do not produce something for our direct sustenance. Even farmers usually hit a few cash crops. We have to pass around little pieces of paper with dead white guys on them to facilitate the functioning of society, although now we just have to stick rectangular pieces of plastic in various slots. So jobs must be valued, monetarily. My job is worth about $40, 000 in the eyes of our society. Now, if I was really good at throwing a ball or making funny faces, I could be a millionaire. Pause, this is not one those standard “it’s not fair” rants about how hard a teacher works and how ridiculous it is that people get all that money for playing a game. This is America; people can spend their money on what they want. Sports players and actors often work very hard and what they do is in demand. But they don’t work for the government. I remember when I was in middle school, and I went to the capitol with the editor of a prominent state wide magazine. A guy there (I don’t remember his exact position) told me that when it comes to government people want three things. 1-They want the government out of their lives. 2- They want lots of government programs that benefit them. 3- They don’t want to pay for any of it. That has stuck in my head for over twenty years. In my current job, I fall soundly into numbers two and three. Well, I feel a whole series on the nature of public education coming up, so I am going to turn back for today. Wouldn’t it be great if you went in to apply for a job and they said “Hello, I love you. Won’t you tell me your name?” That would be pretty great. I think job searching is an active exploration of divine providence. What exactly leads you to a job? Some people say hard work in the process, but it has never been that way for me. I guess that is why I am doing this, instead of pounding the digital pavement. Interesting, no?
The Lions' Den 