So, there’s this Instagram page (the name of which shall not be said because my mother raised me well) that deals in anti-work-themed memes. No relation to Reddit per se, but definitely something that folks online relate to. So much, in fact, that it has 424,000 followers and has posted nearly 1,000 posts as of this article.
All jokes aside, though, memes, while exaggerated and satirical, do still reflect a certain kind of reality. A reality that comes to light through memes.
Because how else can we fight bad employers if not by exposing all of their red flags? And since memes are a sticky way of communicating it, the word spreads quite effectively.
But, if we continue to be real, we also realize that work isn’t black and white. It does have shades of gray, let alone labor rights that make sure it’s never that.
But there’s more.
Without getting too preachy about it, a big part of how we understand work is what leads into this spiral of hate towards it.
Folks gotta understand that work in and of itself is not a bad thing. A job isn’t a bad thing.
Work doesn’t have to be defined by concepts like I gotta wake up at 6AM or I gotta deal with an unreasonable boss. But it can be with how can I improve my craft today? and how can I make a difference today?
It sounds dreamy, and mayhaps even delusional, true, but it goes a long way.
Now, sure, if a job sucks because of other reasons—poor conditions, insane employers, what have you—then it’s definitely time to go. But it’s important to remember that it’s not work per se that’s a problem, but rather the employer.
The key is to find a passion, a healthy obsession through exploration that would push you to your limits because you find purpose in it.
A major factor in why most think of work as a pain where the sun doesn't shine is society itself. It’s a societal construct that forces folks to choose something they might not want or even have an aptitude for.
But it boils down to what you do with it—and, mind you, you can do a lot with it to shape it into something you’d actually find rewarding.
