w ork the power to create new world. t he m eaning of w ork - overview work and working are...
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WORKThe Power to Create New World
THE MEANING OF WORK- OVERVIEW
Work and working are essential in human lifeThe problem of
unemploymentThe reason to workThe Christian Vision of
WorkThe dignity of work
Work – More Than a Living
WORK IS ESSENTIAL
What is work?
A sustained effort that has a purpose.
In its broadest sense, work includes all unpaid but purposeful effort (parenthood, student doing his/her homework, washing the dishes, and so on).
WORK IS ESSENTIAL
Right now, however, we are going to reflect on work in the sense of person's usual means of earning a living.
People generally spend 40-50 years of life working at various jobs.
It is a huge part of our existence – not only in terms of time, but as a force that shapes our identity and the meaning of life.
WORK IS ESSENTIAL
The Problem of Unemployment
When people are deprived of work, they experience the loss of meaning in their lives.
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE USA
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE US Unemployment in the
U.S.Age 16 to 19 years 15.9 20 to 24 years 9.5 25 to 54 years 3.5
Education Less than high school 6.8 Less than bachelors degree
3.2 College graduate 2.2
Racial group African Americans 8.4 Hispanic 6.6 White 4.0
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE US
Unemployment is destructive not merely because of the financial loss.
It destroys one’s sense of self, one’s reason for living.
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE US
Apart from the personal impact, there are two main consequences of unemployment:Economic Social
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE US
Unemployment has links to economic disadvantageLoss of incomeNegative multiplier
effectsLoss of national
output
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE US
The social consequences of unemployment have been connected to higher crime rates Suicide homicide increases of
alcoholism child abuse family breakdown psychiatric
hospitalization
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE US
Unemployment may impair the functioning of families by affecting the parents' interactions with their children and the interactions between partners.
QUESTIONS/REFLECTIONS
How would you define “work” and why work is important to you?
If I were finished with my schooling and could not find work for a long time, how would I feel? how would I react? what would I do?
WHY WORK? Imagine for a moment
that you are unbelievably wealthy. You don’t have to work for the income it brings you, but still, you do work. Because you aren’t concerned with the amount of your paycheck, you are able to choose the work you want to do for the pure joy and pleasure of it. What would you choose? What would you do?
WHY WORK?
1. To Earn Money
Most of us work to earn money so that we can meet our basic needs.
Income is not a bad motive for work – it is a reality.
WHY WORK?
2. To fulfill ambitions
Each one of us has his or her dreams and aspiration.
Many people see work as a way to fulfill those aspirations.
WHY WORK?
3. To develop a sense of identity
Work can help us to clarify who we are:What talents and
skills do I have?What characteristics
do I possess?
WHY WORK?
4. To do what one loves to do
People who love their jobs tend to work with a special enthusiasm.
“Happiness is being paid to do what you would do anyway”
WHY WORK?
5. To build a better world
The altruistic desire to create a better world and improve the conditions of living is another motivation for working.
WHY WORK?
6. To answer a call
Some people see work as more than a job. They see it as vocation, or calling.
They feel they are called to do certain things, and their job is the response to that call.
REFLECTION
Do you have an ambition or aspiration that you have always wanted to fulfill?
If so, share/write about that ambition and how you might fulfill it through work.
REFLECTION Agree or disagree
with each of the following statements and explain in writing: It is human nature for
people to do as little work as they can gat away with.
People work primarily for money; recognition and satisfaction are much less important.
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORK
The dignity of work
The dignity of work does not depend on the work, but on the fact that the one who is doing the work is a PERSON.
From a Christian point of view work is seen as participation in God’s creation
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORKWork and Meaning
Three men were breaking up rocks.“What are you doing?”a passerby asks.
“Making little rocks out of big ones,” says the first worker.
“Earning a living,” answers the second.
“Building a cathedral,” says the third.
What does the short story tell us about the meaning of work?
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORK
Work can have meaning for us in two ways:
The type of work we do
The way we work
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORK
The Type of Work
Jobs that help Jobs that involve direct
service to people in need (doctors, teachers, social workers)
Jobs that are not direct service but do help others (contractors, engineers)
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORK
Jobs That Hurt
Unfortunately some jobs are destructive by their very nature – the manufacture of cigarettes chemical and biological
weapons untested drugs
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORK
Jobs that Degrade Workers
Jobs that do not respect the dignity of human beingsAny form of slaveryChildren labor
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF WORK
The Way We Work Quality Care for people Concern for coworkers
These three dimensions of how we work affect the meaning of our work Quality is a commitment
to excellence Care for customers
means care for another person
Concern for coworkers means the need for cooperation and interdependence
REFLECTION
Find a job you like and you add five days to every week. H. Jackson
Brown, Jr.
America believes in education: the average professor earns more money
in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week. Evan Esar
Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all. Sam Ewing
I think the person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the
money - has turned himself into a slave. Joseph Campbell
Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live. Margaret Fuller
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with
distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of
the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. Khalil Gibran
JOB VS. CAREER
Job - a necessity to make a living
Career – personal fulfillment
CHOOSING A CAREER
How to Choose a Career?
1. Assessing yourself in terms of your individual interests, personality, skills Interests – what you like to
do Personality – preference in
working with people, things, data
Skills – what you are good at
CHOOSING A CAREER
2. Looking Beyond Stereotypes Nursing is not just
women’s work Scientists are not just
men 3. Consider Work
Environment Working alone or with
others Working outdoors Traveling
CHOOSING A CAREER
4. Looking at Clusters of Work Health care The arts Marketing Public relations Teaching
Within each of those clusters there are more specific careers
CHOOSING A CAREER
5. Contacting People in Your Fields of Interest Interviewing people Observing them
6. Trying Out Careers Internships Volunteering
DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR WORK
There are two types of skills we acquire in our life
Career- Content Skills Skills that belong to a
particular job (dentistry, computer programming, sales, and so on)
Transferable Life Skills time management,
working in groups, creativity, decision making process
DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR WORK
In the ever changing world, the transferable life skills are extremely important.
People who have acquired many transferable skills are in the best position to adapt to a changing world
WORKWork is necessary. We need to work
not only to support ourselves and our families but also to have purpose realize our
potentialsaccomplish thingscontribute
something of value with our life.
PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS 1. Why do you think
Gardner chose “Pursuit of Happyness” as the title to his book/movie?
2. What happens in Chris Gardner’s life to make him and his son become homeless? Did the events appear to you to be the result of someone’s fault, poor decisions, or just a sequence of events?
3. What do you think keeps Chris going when he hits ‘bottom’ in the despair of his situation?
PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS It seems that many
Americans have been pursuing the Wall Street version of happiness. In the minds of many Americans, the “pursuit of happiness” is unconsciously equated with the pursuit of wealth and security.
1. What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he enshrined the “pursuit of happiness” as a basic right in the Declaration of Independence?
2. What does the “pursuit of happiness” mean to you?