Why work?

We all work. In or out of the home, or both. Paid or unpaid work, or both. But why? Like a curious toddler, I’m asking an annoying, even banal question. And I know it’s not one that we can necessarily answer well. But it’s still one it’s worth thinking about, and thinking about well.

How might we think about the “why” of work?

Some of the words that might be bubbling up, as you think about this question, could include “pride”, “dignity”, “passion”, “interest”, “service”, “independence” and “family”.

It’s important to hear these and not just push them aside because (1) they’re revealing intuitions about the values we attribute to work, and (2) words create worlds.

Our world(s) of work are created by the words we choose to associate with it. If you immediately thought “dignity”, then you probably value perseverance, self-reliance, and independence. If you immediately thought “service”, you probably value community, support, and collaboration. Neither one is better than the other. They’re all good things, right? Perseverance and supporting others are both qualities we’d encourage in our children. But these words form little webs that hold meanings, identities, and relationships.

The associative world of work that you hold internally might differ a lot from the work culture in which you find…