A Worthwhile Ethic
A Provocation
Try to think of your current job. Try to think of doing it for the next year. The next 5 years. The next 10 years. Really think about it. Really try to imagine. Take your time.
Now stop.
Were you able to think about just your current job, or did you find yourself inevitably thinking of career moves – promotions, advancements or new companies? Did thinking about this fill you with positive feelings of joy or more troubling feelings of stagnation, boredom or other anxiety-inducing emotions?
If you felt yourself tugged in the latter direction for the questions above, you’re not alone. In fact, I would say your part of the large majority of college-educated individuals. We are educated in a system that prioritizes the measurement of achievement through work, the development of a work ethic, a moral attachment to work. For the most part, this goes unquestioned – it is viewed as natural.
It doesn’t have to be that way. We can, individually and collectively, question the role work plays in our lives. The pressures of employability that make no job ever enough – we’re constantly in search of improved employability or the next opportunity in our pursuit of “success”…whatever that is.
The World of Work According to Me
What I see when I examine our society (or at least our segment of society) is that work has quietly become a deeply problematic element. To me, the world of the well-educated now looks like:
A series of ladders to climb, no matter which profession you enter (business, medicine, law). Whatever you choose, you pick your ladder and you start climbing, with the promise of power, riches, glory and even happiness at the top.
At each rung of the ladder, you could explore the level you’re on. And it honestly looks fine. There are some nice things on the floor. You may keep one hand on the ladder, so you don’t miss an opportunity to keep climbing. Or at least stay close with one eye always on the ladder. Oh, but instead of a regular ceiling, each floor has a transparent ceiling. You can see the floor (or even floors) above. And wow, from here, it looks amazing! There are balloons…cakes…it looks like a real party up there. Paradise.
Wait, can you look down to the floors you’ve emerged from? No way. These are one-way windows – you can only see up, not down.
Life goes on. Occasionally, you get to climb up one or two rungs, but no matter the floor, the one above always seems way better. Or if it doesn’t or it seems like you can’t get there, you can always leap from the ladder you’re on to another one. It’s a risky step – sometimes, you jump to a higher rung on the next ladder. But in most cases, especially if it’s a long jump (a really big career shift e.g. lawyer to doctor), gravity does its work and you go down several rungs on the ladder. But no matter where you are, you’re always near the ladder. And you’re always looking up.
A Whole New World – Worktopia
I want to design a different vision for work. One that rejects the notion of promotions and career ladders. That rejects the primacy of work in our lives. Before I get into the details, here’s what I’m proposing:
Amidst these ladders, I’m trying to build a door with a platform. Now, this door is nowhere near the top of these ladders. It’s high, but nowhere near the top. (Side note: these ladders seem to be adding rungs at the top. Is there such a thing as high enough? Climbing too high?)
I’m building this at a certain level. To be fair, in no way is this accessible to all. I’ve been privileged enough to have the resources to have climbed to a certain level. I’m taking advantage of that for the purposes of this vision and can’t deny that this does nothing for most people that are stuck far lower on the ladder through no fault of their own, just the circumstances of their birth. But living my life looking up does nothing to help those lower on the ladder, either. So, I believe you can acknowledge your privilege, be grateful for it, and still look to design a different type of work life – one where you jump onto this platform, open the door, and step into a new setup.
Behind this door, you will find colleagues, not bosses. You will find friends, not coworkers. You will find a worthwhile ethic, not a work ethic. In this world, there is no transparent ceiling. There’s no looking up or down. There’s no ladder to keep a hand or eye on. There is simply being in this room.
But what if it goes wrong?
This all sounds wonderful, but what if it doesn’t work? Let’s say I don’t like this world. Or I can’t stop thinking of the floors above, or the ladder I left behind and the other people climbing them while I’m here.
Any time you want, you can walk to the door and exit. Standing on that platform, you’re going to have to jump. Only you control whether that’s an upward jump, a lateral jump, or a downward jump. But remember – the platform is reasonably high. Yes, while you were behind that door, others were climbing. Have no illusions about that. But really think. Do you really want a life of climbing? Or, to put it a different way, do you really believe you are going to reach a floor where you’re no longer tempted by the ever-present upward view? Is it worth a couple years of your life, a couple years of foregone climbing, to try to be a part of something more worthwhile than work?
If you’re still with me, or at least interested enough to want to hear more, keep reading.
Defining Worktopia
Colleagues, not bosses.
There’s no hierarchy in this organization. No ladder to climb. This is a small group of highly intelligent, highly motivated individuals who have passions, interests and expertise that converge and diverge in interesting ways.
Everyone is paid the same amount. Enough to live very comfortably, not enough to be filthy rich.
Friends, not coworkers.
Let’s work with people we love, not tolerate. People where are our time together doesn’t feel like work. This is a small, selective group. There’s no need to expand beyond a small group of friends who share interests, a mutual respect, and a desire to spend more time in each other’s company.
I want to do this in a place that is community-oriented, where you can raise a family amongst friends, and where life can be enjoyed.
A worthwhile ethic, not a work ethic
In this organization, our goal is not to work for work’s sake. Our goal is to work in an effort to do something worthwhile. I don’t mean that in a grandiose manner. I mean that we should find a deeper pleasure in our work together. We should find enjoyment. We should experience flow regularly in our work. We should engage with each other and follow our interests where they lead us.
This also means that work is the right priority in life. There are no set hours. There are great benefits. There’s inherent flexibility, as for us, work is not what defines you or even close to the most important thing you do. So, we want and encourage other worthwhile endeavors – self-improvement, time with your children, sports, reading – to take their rightful precedence over work.
Notice I’ve spent many paragraphs talking about this worktopia without ever mentioning what we’re working on. That’s deliberate. To me, what we work on is a means to achieving everything I’m looking for above. It is a tool that I hope to wield to my advantage in building this alternative work life. That’s important to remember. Our life doesn’t have to be organized around our work. Work is one of several worthwhile activities that become our life. Ultimately, people are happier when they use their time to do the things they want to do. If you really reflect on that sentence, you’ll understand the spirit of what I hope to achieve.