From comments and emails, I have realized that I am being a total bitch squealer about work. And I have decided that must stop. After a sleepless night I kind of came to this......
You know the saying, "pull yourself up by your boot straps" Well it's kind of bullshit because not everyone has boot straps. I didn't work really hard to get this job, it was just expected that I would have a decent paying job with workers rights. And, that is because I was born in North America. Which obviously is one hundred percent luck. I had no play in it what-so-ever. But just that lucky coincidence of my geographical birth has allowed me a life of freedom and high expectations. Unfortunatly if you are not so lucky, I mean if you are the other 84.5% living in a developing country you will likely never know such luxuries. I, like many of my family and friends have social mobility, freedom to jump through class systems and a passport that is welcomed in many places.
Yeah, work can suck and in some of my utopian thoughts I believe there is a better way to life but obviously I am not YET perusing it. But the truth is it can be WAY worse, way way worse. I have seen it in my travels and witnessed it with my own eyes. Over population, under education and the bitch of being poor, lower class or an immigrant. There are countries where people do unthinkable things to make money to survive from prostituting their children to even maiming them. And I, and my family and friends are lucky to have never been in such circumstances.
It is ridiculous for me to ever complain about work since I work great hours, with awesome benifits in a safe and air conditioned environment. But more than that the real reason is....because I have a CHOICE and the freedom to leave and find many many types of jobs.
Each day here I witness how the lower class immigrant Indian worker are treated. I see them shipped in from work camps on the outskirts of the city to work long hours under an unforgiving sun. And there is this cultural oddity about Indians....they stare. I mean they are not engaged or distracted...they always seem to be looking OUT. I don't mean they stare at me because I am female, I mean they just stare out at the world from the bus or their work place and make an intimate eye contact that us westerners are not accustomed to. And when I catch their eyes I can't help but to be drawn into their lives for a moment....wondering about their day, where they will sleep and how they are seperated from their families and the normalcies of life. And I realize how freaken lucky I was to be born in North America. Not blessed, not privileged... simply lucky. Which I too often take for granted.
So this morning I had an OFFICE SPACE moment. I woke up like Peter and said fuck it I am not going to get sucked into the stress and minuet stupid details...I am going to remind myself how LUCKY I am.
You know the saying, "pull yourself up by your boot straps" Well it's kind of bullshit because not everyone has boot straps. I didn't work really hard to get this job, it was just expected that I would have a decent paying job with workers rights. And, that is because I was born in North America. Which obviously is one hundred percent luck. I had no play in it what-so-ever. But just that lucky coincidence of my geographical birth has allowed me a life of freedom and high expectations. Unfortunatly if you are not so lucky, I mean if you are the other 84.5% living in a developing country you will likely never know such luxuries. I, like many of my family and friends have social mobility, freedom to jump through class systems and a passport that is welcomed in many places.
Yeah, work can suck and in some of my utopian thoughts I believe there is a better way to life but obviously I am not YET perusing it. But the truth is it can be WAY worse, way way worse. I have seen it in my travels and witnessed it with my own eyes. Over population, under education and the bitch of being poor, lower class or an immigrant. There are countries where people do unthinkable things to make money to survive from prostituting their children to even maiming them. And I, and my family and friends are lucky to have never been in such circumstances.
It is ridiculous for me to ever complain about work since I work great hours, with awesome benifits in a safe and air conditioned environment. But more than that the real reason is....because I have a CHOICE and the freedom to leave and find many many types of jobs.
Each day here I witness how the lower class immigrant Indian worker are treated. I see them shipped in from work camps on the outskirts of the city to work long hours under an unforgiving sun. And there is this cultural oddity about Indians....they stare. I mean they are not engaged or distracted...they always seem to be looking OUT. I don't mean they stare at me because I am female, I mean they just stare out at the world from the bus or their work place and make an intimate eye contact that us westerners are not accustomed to. And when I catch their eyes I can't help but to be drawn into their lives for a moment....wondering about their day, where they will sleep and how they are seperated from their families and the normalcies of life. And I realize how freaken lucky I was to be born in North America. Not blessed, not privileged... simply lucky. Which I too often take for granted.
So this morning I had an OFFICE SPACE moment. I woke up like Peter and said fuck it I am not going to get sucked into the stress and minuet stupid details...I am going to remind myself how LUCKY I am.
amen, amanda!
ReplyDeleteginger
Thanks, I needed that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I want you to know I'm reading and enjoying it all.
Love tou you and Aaron
OK - I think we all need to remind ourselves of the great points you make, BUT don't beat yourself up too much. People here worry about how the cheese gets slapped on their Subway sandwiches - I'm serious, people expended energy to get this changed. Does that make any sense? All I'm saying is we are victims of our conditions and don't sell yourself short - it is hard to relocate to a different country and culture and job. We all should appreciate our luck, and I don't like hearing that you're not sublimely happy, but I do like the honesty with which you describe your cultural and professional struggles.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the thoughtful feedback!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the thoughtful feedback!
ReplyDelete