It’s simple! I need a Job. Yet there are so many other needs out there waiting to be met- which leads me to the question; What really is a job? Is it sitting in front of a 21 inch LCD monitor, clicking away on the keyboard and mouse 9 hours daily? Standing in line for 2 hours while trying to be the first to sell a product? Waiting on a rather burly man in his mid fifties who so happens to live in a penthouse on one the more popular streets in Victoria Island? Clanging on a metal bell every hour or so, to signify times of prayer? The options are really wide and right between them, there exists the real meaning of a job. I hear a lot of people out there say a job is just a way to keep body and soul together; a basic means of survival. While I don’t disagree with them, I think the definition of a job is even simpler and far more basic than the conceived ideas of society. Most will view their jobs as their source of livelihood and nothing more. Others will say jobs are their mental gateways. “When at work, I tend to use my brain to its full capacity”, a friend of mine once said. “Why is that?”, I asked. In reply he said “I’ll say I don’t want to get fired, so I always want to give my best”. I think that kind of person will get burnt out soon enough. He gives his all on his job and really doesn’t have a life. His job is his life. He even sleeps in the office at times. I know he’s really well paid but I can’t help but wonder if he ever has time to enjoy his fat salary. Thirty minutes ago, my boss asked me to move some chairs into the conference room. This isn’t part of my job description but I did it anyway. Why? You say. Well, for one, he’s my boss, so I pretty much oblige to most of his wishes. I don’t relish the prospect of getting fired anytime soon; especially in the present economic climate. Then, there’s the fact that I had been sitting at my desk for the better part of this morning, doing nothing. I was simply idle and needed to do something (don’t worry, I earn less than 70 dollars monthly but for the most part, I get to come and leave as I like and it’s actually called a stipend). As I lifted each chair, I felt a sense of accomplishment (I know you’re beginning to wonder). I was finally doing something. Each chair weighed at least 10kg and I got my hands dirty in the process. My new jeans got to bear the brunt of the work as it caught a lot of the dust from the chairs but I thoroughly enjoyed every grunt. As the beads of perspiration shone on my forehead, eventually tipping over at a bend on my handsome face to meet the tiled floors of the conference room, I paused and gave the situation some thought. Why was I not fuming at the fact that this was not a part of my job description (I should have these phony thoughts going through my head: this is really beneath me. After all I possess a university degree….. Blah, blah, blah…)? Instead, I was asking for more. I then realized where I had been missing it. My job was not necessarily what I was paid for at the end of each month. My job simply involved filling a need at every point in time. I really think that this is the true definition of a job; Meeting a need. You probably think my brain needs to be checked. But I can’t shake this certainty that I’ll find a job really soon. After all, I simply need to find a need around me and meet it.
brilliantsparkle 