In our blog over the last five years, we have discussed a myriad of issues from happiness and spirituality, to death and sadness. The intent of our site has always been to give people, especially young people, the chance to reflect on the machinations of life and its direction. Consciousness poses many key questions that, as individuals, we must reflect on. To paraphrase: “It does not really matter what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us. We need to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who are being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” (1) Failure to do so can result in an unrequited existence, one that is not experienced until it is too late. We have often been asked to put our thoughts in a more straightforward format. To this end, in the next number of weeks, we are going to give form and context to our main intellectual and spiritual emphasis: “Don’t be a Wage Slave,” DBAWageslave.com.

 

We live in a dynamic and ephemeral world. “Why am I here, what is my path and how do I walk down it?” are clear questions that have been asked since time immemorial. The difference that has to come to pass with this current generation, the so-called Millennial Generation, is that if previous times could claim, at best, a rationalist approach (2) now we have an additional reality: our digital signature. We are then, in one interpretation, three “beings”: a soul that comprises an inner reality, a corporeal body and an entity in digital space, my Internet presence. This unholy triumvirate is constantly in conflict with itself. We grow up in a loving family, but this family, many times, places expectations on us that are not seemingly directed towards our natural tendencies. We have a talent for music or art, for example, but we are encouraged to focus on math and science: these being more practical skills. Into this maelstrom plummets our connectivity with the exterior world: the Internet. We suddenly have access to all of society’s knowledge, both present, and past, and yet none of its wisdom. We are confused, to say the least. Now pick a financial path in life and do it now! Would you too not feel listless and disenfranchised from the society and your being? In previous generations, war and conflict were the defining factors. We are now at war with ourselves: the struggle to blend what is with what should be.    

 

What then is wage slavery? It is related to chattel slavery. Chattel slavery is easily understood: I own you much like I would own a piece of property. In its most primitive form, history documented the majority of mankind without any political or societal rights whatsoever. You were but a piece of primitive technology in human form. In a great Roman domus, for instance, there was an intense division of labor: (3) one slave dressed you; another combed your hair and made you presentable to the outside world; a third walked you to school. According to Professor William Stearns Davis, (4) this description was from an extremely modest middle-class home. In larger, wealthier families, the separation of tasks was even more intense. Have you ever entered the offices of a large bureaucracy: a government bureau or a bank? Startling, to say the least! This form of human emasculation eventually gave way to serfdom. (5) You were, in theory, free but tied to the land. Finally, by the early to middle 20^th century, mankind was mostly free, both socially and politically. We could own property and elect our leaders. The only thing that we were not truly free from was capital: money. If we didn’t have it, we had to get it in some way or another.

 

Under our capitalistic system, the one commodity I can sell to get money is my time. I am paid for it, even if it is for a pittance of its real value. This is where “the self” comes into conflict, into inner turmoil. If we sell our time only for money, and we have a heightened sense of awareness as to the possibilities presented in life, we feel extremely disconnected and lost from our inner self, our innate talents. We then are wage slaves. Bob Dylan’s iconic song, “Everyone must get stoned,” (6) is but a sad footnote to the collapse of human potential. I must dull my senses to get through this life. Herein lies life’s great secret: it is a four-letter word: work! You must labor at developing those natural gifts. The classic model entails an education plus experience leading to expertise. All of us must be wage slaves for a period of time until we mature our skill set. This step cannot be shortened or avoided. The Steve Jobs (1955-2011) of the world are an aberration, not the norm. Once I develop this expertise, however, I may accept Confucius’ dictum: “Do what you love and you will never work again.” A stable and acceptable income will be one byproduct of achieving your true life purpose. The great writer and motivational speaker, Og Mandino (1923-1996), leaves us with a thought: I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.

 

A closing thought: The great beauty of life, in my estimation, is the impermanence of each moment. The past is truly, well, past. It has absolutely no bearing on the present unless I give it value through my memory. I do not have to suffer from previous mistakes. They are lessons for future encounters. At each juncture, I am free to be me, the beautiful me, unhindered by any burden of guilt or regret.   

 

A small joke: An elderly gentleman loved to go bicycling on the weekend. He was proud of his health and often embarked on arduous rides in the mountains. One particular weekend, he felt that he may have overextended himself, however. He was at the top of a very high hill and the valley floor was far, far below. There was a small restaurant close at hand so he went inside to inquire as to the danger of the following route. “Is it dangerous to cycle down this hill?” he inquired somewhat hesitantly. “Not at all!” was the cheeky reply. “It is the crash at the bottom that can cause complications.”      

 

This week, please ponder where you are and where you are going.

Every day look for something magical and beautiful.

Quote: Time is like gold cascading through my fingers, I can admire its beauty but never catch it.

 

Footnotes:

1)   Viktor E. Frankl: Man’s Search for Meaning

2)   Rationalism vs. Empiricism

3)   Adam Smith and the Division of Labor

4)   William Stearns Davis: A Day in Old Rome

5)   Serfdom

6)   Bob Dylan – Everybody Must Get Stoned