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1.   work

/wərk/

Noun Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.

Verb Be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result, esp. in one's job; do work.

Synonyms noun. job - labor - business - labour - occupation - employment   verb. operate - labor - function - labour - run - go - make

 

I got excited once many years ago. A teacher in high school told us that within a few years Canada/Ontario would move to the 35 hour work week. Now I was already holding down a part-time job at a local fast food joint so I was beginning to know a little about work and knew that it might not be all positive, so the idea of facing a world with less of it sounded quite appealing.

Thirty some year later and the 35 hour work week never happened. One of our Ontario governments even tried to move to the 60 hour work week a few years ago. We are all working 40 hours and in many cases more. Work is a necessity and for most a desire.

Work if defined as a must do is negative, and if some danger, ethical issue or negative hierarchical management structure exists “achieving a purpose” becomes “WORK”.

There is something brewing in my mind though; why do we know about work?  What is it that makes work different from play? Why will your friends help you put on a new roof or move for beer and steak (total value $35) but not for $75 cash? Everything we do is achieving a purpose, why do some of these actions account as play and some as work?

What I know about myself

·         When I am working on something that matters to me small physical pains go away and hunger is abated until I conclude the process.

·         I know I need money but I am more motivated by an interesting project.

·         If I believe in the ethics and intellect of the leadership in a project I can really put my back and mind into it. The reverse is true; I languish under leadership I have no faith in.

·         Creating something useful or beautiful or both out of something bordering on trash has appeal.

·         Working for someone who I love and or respect in order that they succeed always gratifies me more than working for myself or wages.

·         If there is a person at my workplace that I enjoy the company of it improves my outlook toward the job.

The list above is my list, yours will be different.

So is work simply an environmental issue? If the environment is good, will work then be transformed to play no matter what it is? If your friends and loved ones will work well and hard in your interest then would it not be in your interest to create environments where the participants are ready to “achieve a purpose” regardless of the wage structure? Why can’t we come to understand?

Well is it because the solitary purpose of much industry is focused on the making and saving of money? If the sole purpose became quality products made better than the next guys products so that the consumer would want yours instead, how would this change things? In producing quality would you need workers who are not cogs in a wheel and are actually invested in the process?

Nothing again is new under the sun, but we are not answering these questions.