Shouldn’t we embrace pointlessness? Work : the
grown-up’s Santa Claus
Warning: this text contains
a large number of double ss’s. Possibly toxic, depending on the dosage. Read
with caution.
Many people have a
problem with feeling aimless or without purpose. Pointlessness makes us feel
vulnerable, as a huge void opens up, revealing what the world looks like
without self-imposed obligations and activities. In this uneventful, quiet
world, everything moves slowly.
Before continuing, let
me make it clear that I’m speaking from a rich Westerner’s point of view, who
has many possibilities in life and whose endless options often put him in ‘freeze-mode.’
However, there is no
reason not to take the man of luxury seriously. He might even give us a more
real picture of humanity than the man of necessity, weathered and worn by
circumstances which keep him from delving deeper into his thoughts and feelings.
Returning to these
self-imposed obligations and activities – usually referred to as work- one can
observe a funny paradox. We complain about it daily, but we can’t live without
it. It gets worse: we need it.
It gives our lives
meaning, in the same way structuring time into seconds, minutes, days and years
give our lives meaning. And this meaning, ultimately, seems to be something
everyone is madly striving for. So much so, that when someone gets the feeling
their life might be without this purpose, the world becomes a dark, sorry place
and matters must be resolved at once.
However, I suggest
doing an experiment. Two, actually.
The first one is to
sit somewhere where you have a perspective on life in motion; a café, for
instance. It’s quite simple: just watch people going about their daily
practices. Observe their gait and their expression. What do they radiate?
Determination? Hapiness? Stability? Routine? Boredom? Think about what drives
them and to what extent their world-view and mental health relies on kidding
themselves day after day. Is work is the grown-up’s Santa Claus?
The second one: try to
embrace pointlessness. Do nothing for a while. Abandon your routine for a
longer period. And try to see the world in its aimlessness, if that’s what you
see in it. Above all, try to see the world separated from the view you have
imposed on it, in as far as that’s possible. And then try and see if you can stand
it.
I can say I tried to,
enjoyed it for a while, but failed to keep up with it, thereby joining the
majority of the workaholic population. However, the experience was a valuable
one and I think a lot can be said for stopping to feel like everything has to ‘head
somewhere.’
In the end, pointlessness
might not deserve the negative connotation it gets. Either that or I’ve had too
many coffees.
