Rant: In search of work and meaning in a time of austerity

Searching for meaning and questioning the system is what a lot of people in their twenties do, right?

At least that's the case with me.

I'm an atheist, so I feel that this life is all we have. That makes your time more precious, because when you die, that's it.

A job doesn't have to be the only thing that defines your life, but because you spend most of your time doing it, it becomes an identifier  - something that people will immediately ask when they meet each other: "What do you do?"

I've been temping for a while now and it's not terrible but just not particularly stimulating. I've had a crack at various jobs in the public sector and been luckier than some by being short-listed for several pretty great jobs.

Unfortunately I haven't sealed the deal and have missed out when employers have chosen more experienced people (usually older) than myself.

If my only hope is to continue doing average work, that I don't enjoy for average wages then I'll either.

A: Leave NZ and go to Australia or elsewhere
B: Retrain in a different field

I decided a while ago that I wasn't very interested in mainstream news journalism, which is what I was trained to do and the internship I received. Even if I was rearing to go - there are few jobs available in NZ and the pay is rather lowly.

One thing that occurred to me is how little control we have over our ability to choose how we work. We may be able to choose the field we want to work in through our training and studies but when the economy is down, there might be few jobs available in our field.

Westerners are in a privileged position compared to a lot of the world in terms of what jobs we do, but still, think to yourself about how many people you hear say "I love my job."

I think many people settle for work that "pays the bills" or is "not too bad" rather than something they feel passionate about. Maybe it's just easier to live life that way. Not everyone can be a presenter on Top Gear or have millions of dollars and loads of free time.

You vs the prevailing economic circumstances

Is it too idealistic to think that people should work in jobs they love and that us their abilities? Wouldn't that ultimately be more productive.
When I reflect on most of the office jobs I've done, and it's been a few now - people just look a bit blank as they sit at their screens. It's not a very natural way to be - sitting still for eight hours or more per day.

The competition for the most prestigious jobs and highest pay, and the measurement of self-worth in material possessions leads us to dissatisfaction.

We are still lead to believe everything is all right, that the dream is alive. That our pursuit of money and stuff is right.

I have learned that money doesn't bring you lasting fulfilment.

Even if we train in a particular field and get a good university education with good marks, that doesn't guarantee you will be able to find a good-paying, satisfying job.

Our system demands that you work to earn money to live. - That's fair enough, but if the economy is shit, your choices over what kinds of jobs you can get are quite restricted. The ups and downs of the capitalist system are something that we mostly accept, but when you really think about it, the whole money system on which are society is based on is just pretend isn't it?

Most money in the world doesn't physically exist and isn't backed by something of concrete physical value like gold, or assets. Banks issue far more loans than they actually physically hold in cash. They can do so because they are legitimised by Governments to do so. Borrowing helps growth, or so the theory goes..

 Economic growth which is always expounded by leaders as a great thing is what most Western societies strive for.

Here are a few reasons why debt is bad.
From my own experience paying off my student loan, it does sort of hang over you. The prospect of taking on board a massive mortgage to fund my first home is not something I'll rush into.

When you hear that the low growth and shitty economic conditions could carry on for many years you start to think.. Why the hell don't we all just start again?

Surely, if most of the countries in the world are in debt and the economic system we have is advantaging a small few at the expense of most of the rest of the world, then we, as a global society have to say - fuck this!
I'm not imagining that this will suddenly happen because the people who have a lot of money and power won't relinquish it easily and large change can be a scary thing.
Inequality is growing everywhere in the world and quite substantially so in New Zealand over the last 25 years..

The competition for the most prestigious jobs and highest pay, and the measurement of self-worth in material possessions leads us to dissatisfaction.

So what are the solutions?

It would be premature of me to think that I could come up with something that hasn't been thought of before.. I just know the way we are doing things now is not sustainable for people or the planet. We need to rethink a lot of stuff..

Will society continue down this road? If so, what are the consequences?

http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM27/Growth.html