Jobs

I have recently become intrigued with jobs. Jobs, so simple a word kind of spurned by the philosophers and deep thinkers who might tell us it's more important to sit, to meditate, to think, do nothing, etc. This kind of flies in the face of some recent experiences I have had. So even before I exercise my thinker too much, here are those recent experiences ....

Just yesterday I took a little drive across town to meet with a friend at his request. He is from South Sudan, a new immigrant to this country, and we have become close friends, need each other’s presence periodically. He lives with the trauma of the genocide he experienced at hands of ‘those on the other side’and an unending passion to help those who suffer in that endlessly troubled country now also dealing with spillover from renewed fighting in Sudan. This he never forgets and it can become overwhelming especially for me, this white ‘problem solver.’ Yesterday, however, his eyes sparkled, he was dressed up just for the occasion of coffee with me at a local Tim Horton’s. It was time for catch-up. He has been working long hours during Calgary Stampede, at one of the casinos, not managing one of the gambling tables or that type of job. Nope, he’s been on garbage detail, long hours, huge bags of garbage created by wealthy partyers and gamblers, many of them inebriated and generous tippers. Rich people seem to enjoy good looking cheerful black men coming around to take care of disposal needs. I cannot but marvel at my friend’s cheery disposition even as I restrain my judgmental attitude to the party show which characterizes this sin city.

I think of another recent scenario. Some members of our extended family have recently arrived in this city. A couple with three children, one has landed a good job in this oil fueled economy, the other partner still looking. As they land in Calgary alongside our challenging housing market, it has become obvious they will need not one but two jobs. Yes, lots of income needed. Almost immediately he gets a job in the service industry – temporary and not in the profession he is trained for – but it's better than sitting around in a hot house and they are thankful. Now in this household there is banter, happiness; there is faith and hope. It almost reminds me of Genesis 12, which my wife and I read this morning. Abram instructed to go “to a land I will show you” (:1) not all details in place, but it was a required move.

Last night we had dinner, special guests of a young man we have become acquainted with this last year.  Our evening conversation included much description of the job which he has recently landed after a considerable stretch of painful unemployment. He loves his job, knows his trade, and is happy to work long hours as carpenter on a huge project. We are buoyed up in presence of his cheery generous spirit, proud of his ambition and his good attitude as his career resumes. The self-confidence is a joy to behold.

I notice jobs are also quite common among some high-school kids I know. Seems to me this is a good way of learning to receive instructions in exchange for a wage, definitely better than attitudes of entitlement which can come from the allowance option of 'high-end' kids. Especially among those not too enthused about studies, jobs are an excellent way to learn focus and the satisfaction of a job well done. According to some of their parents, it also helps to improve the grades in school.

Needless to say one might now extrapolate at length about employment and or unemployment. Canada’s current unemployment rate is 5.4%, and this our city at present is above that at 6.6%. Surprise! I do recall Premier Danielle Smith saying in her victory speech on May 29 that Alberta is open for business, obviously not providing lots of jobs just yet! Needless to say many factors are in play. I shall not wax political here. Nonetheless image and hype cannot be ignored even as we must take responsibility for education and training and yes, personal motivation of each and every one of us, our place in the workforce.

Work is no stranger to me. My lifelong challenge has been and still is to learn to relax – as my friends, family, and my doctor all know! So even as I acknowledge the importance of learning to do nothing I still have a "yes but." I maintain work is a joy; it is good for us even if jobs not always ideal. This vantage is perhaps because I come from a lineage of Mennonite rackere (a term close to slavery). My dad regularly referred to idol hands or an idol mind as the devil's workshop. Slightly overstated, his hyperbole is probably still a contributor to my own value system. 😉  

Obviously I have an appreciation for a working attitude. These days there is another side to this coin, and I observe it every day. In this city there are many young people and even worn-out middle agers, some with heads hanging to their chest, unfocused eyes, standing at traffic light intersections, receiving either abuse or handouts, whatever drivers see fit to dole out. There are reasons, many struggling with addictions and mental health, and some of them simply have not had anybody love them enough to teach the value of work. A Bible reference also I cannot ignore.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Hmm.

Jobs are a valuable thing, especially if fueled by the desire to work. There are also those with jobs but little motivation to work. They hang unto jobs because they know not what else to do, or they need the income. In those cases they are abusers, of themselves and of their employers. Last weekend I spent some time in company of a business owner. One of his laments, and he was not speaking negatively at all, was this, “We can’t find enough workers, people who want to work, or at least want to learn how to work.”

That, I believe, is food for thought for all of us retirees, the parents and grandparents of those on one side or other of the employment statistics in this day.