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Over the past month I’ve been looking for a job. Now all 2 of you may be wondering what happened to Wendy’s? Well, to be honest, i decided it was time to move on. So i spent roughly a month in futility, languishing away with little money and desperately praying for a job. Of all places the Gap Outlet hired me. But this is beside the point.
The point is that as I was seeking out a job and finally came upon one, i was caught in this bitter paradox. I knew I needed/wanted to work because of financial reasons. But at the same time I dreaded (and still dread) going to work. Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 helped me deal with submitting to work at the Gap (especially v. 24). And, from my highly advanced theological training, I know that work is good, that, as that passage says, it’s from God. So if I know that I should enjoy work, why don’t I?
Of course, the technical theological answer is: because of the Fall. After all, Adam’s punishment was that his work/toil would become difficult and painful (Genesis 3:17-19). But what exactly makes the work so bad? I look at times when I enjoy my work..when are those? When I’m serving someone else selflessly and not really getting “paid” to do it. Then I don’t mind my work. To serve someone in such a capacity is much more rewarding than merely working for a paycheck.
So my theological theory (which may be nothing significant at all) is that what makes work so bad is that we are often placed in places we don’t want to be, doing work we don’t want to do, for a reward that we ultimately can’t enjoy. But when we find ourselves in a position to help without much hope of a physical reward, it seems the work becomes a joy. Why? Because the “warm and fuzzy” feeling that comes with helping others is not taxable. No one can steal that feeling and so I say that this is how true work really is supposed to be.
What say you?
What you are about to read (or “see” depending on if you believe in reading or not) is what I consider a “classic” blog post from my first blog at http://schooltimemysteries.freewebspace.com. I wrote it 2 Decembers ago when I noticed something and started theorizing. I did add some material to it to tweak my theory last December when i reposted it here,but this is basically the original post. It’s somewhat serious, mostly satirical..but enjoy it anyway and tell me what you think:
Permit me to philosophically muse for a moment here and put forth a theory I’ve been developing lately. Recently I’ve felt that winter is the best time to fall in love with someone and begin a relationship. Why? Think about it. It’s colder. We want to get closer to each other and feel warmth,like holding someone’s hand as opposed to sticking yours into your pocket(as opposed to someone else’s). Next,the trees shed their leaves completely…they’re so barren..we feel that barreness in our hearts. It makes us feel alone and we long for human companionship. On top of this,note the romantic holidays and practices associated with this season…
Thanksgiving. A time for rest and families…okay not so romantic..unless you’re showing your family your new boy/girl friend! Then Christmas. Giving presents to people you care about. Romantic conotations are written all over that! And what about the mistletoe? “Kiss me if we happen to meet under this twig” was obviously established by a couple in love around the holidays. Now New Years. What happens when the ball drops and the clock strikes midnight?What are you supposed to do? Kiss someone close to you…as long as you know and love them..(I want to be clear here that I’ve never actually kissed anyone at midnight on new years except my mom and sister…but immediate family doesn’t count).
Then in February you have Valentine’s Day. Originally that holiday was all about bunnies. But Cupid’s really a jerk and he booted them to Easter. So now the day is dedicated to showing that special someone how special you think they are. We could even dare stretch it to St. Patrick’s Day. Other than annoyingly pinching people who forget to wear green, what do we say? “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” Key word there is “kiss.” And need I mention walks in the woods, ice skating, looking at Christmas lights, snowball fights, building snowmen, climbing trees, and warming up by the fire with some hot chocolate and peppy background music? No, I don’t need to mention those…but I did anyway.
So I think my case for falling in love during winter is pretty solid from a certain point of view. Maybe it’s just me. I know what you’re thinking, “Are you hinting at something here?” Nope,I’m just putting forth a crazy hypothesis. To a point I’m joking,to a point I’m not. The practical outcome? Well,understand,that going through loneliness at this time of the year is probably natural thanks to the holidays and all the activities those entail. You’re not alone….so you know,start a club or something…but be sure you invite me.
What you are about to read (or “see” depending on if you believe in reading or not) is what I consider a “classic” blog post from my first blog at http://schooltimemysteries.freewebspace.com. I wrote it last December when I noticed something and started theorizing. I did add some material to it to tweak my theory,but this is basically the original post. It’s somewhat serious, mostly satirical..but enjoy it anyway and tell me what you think:
Permit me to philosophically muse for a moment here and put forth a theory I’ve been developing lately. Recently I’ve felt that winter is the best time to fall in love with someone and begin a relationship. Why? Think about it. It’s colder. We want to get closer to each other and feel warmth,like holding someone’s hand as opposed to sticking yours into your pocket(as opposed to someone else’s). Next,the trees shed their leaves completely…they’re so barren..we feel that barreness in our hearts. It makes us feel alone and we long for human companionship. On top of this,note the romantic holidays and practices associated with this season…
Thanksgiving. A time for rest and families…okay not so romantic..unless you’re showing your family your new boy/girl friend! Then Christmas. Giving presents to people you care about. Romantic conotations are written all over that! And what about the mistletoe? “Kiss me if we happen to meet under this twig” was obviously established by a couple in love around the holidays. Now New Years. What happens when the ball drops and the clock strikes midnight?What are you supposed to do? Kiss someone close to you…as long as you know and love them..(I want to be clear here that I’ve never actually kissed anyone at midnight on new years except my mom and sister…but immediate family doesn’t count).
Then in February you have Valentine’s Day. Originally that holiday was all about bunnies. But Cupid’s really a jerk and he booted them to Easter. So now the day is dedicated to showing that special someone how special you think they are (I want to be clear here that I’ve never had a “special someone” on that day to show how special they are…I had a guinea pig once..but family pets don’t count). We could even dare stretch it to St. Patrick’s Day. Other than annoyingly pinching people who forget to wear green, what do we say? “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” Key word there is “kiss.” And need I mention walks in the woods, ice skating, looking at Christmas lights, snowball fights, building snowmen, climbing trees, and warming up by the fire with some hot chocolate and peppy background music? No, I don’t need to mention those…but I did anyway.
So I think my case for falling in love during winter is pretty solid from a certain point of view. Maybe it’s just me. I know what you’re thinking, “Are you hinting at something here?” Nope,I’m just putting forth a crazy hypothesis. To a point I’m joking,to a point I’m not. The practical outcome? Well,understand,that going through loneliness at this time of the year is probably natural thanks to the holidays and all the activities those entail. You’re not alone….so you know,start a club or something…but be sure you invite me.
