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Opus Day 9: Work with soul and love
“The soul is what makes you a unique person, a human being with deep feelings and the capacity for strong relationships. Your soul comes alive in cherished friendships, family gatherings, and the care you bring to your home. And yet, it isn’t easy to define or even describe with any clarity. It’s the mystery element in your sense of who you are and in the world you engage with.
Writing about the soul, the Greek philosopher Heracleitus emphasized depth: “You could never find the limits of the soul, no matter how many roads you took so deep is its mystery.” Deep is perhaps the best word to describe the experience of the soul -- deep feelings, deep thoughts, deep connections, deep projects. Soul is there in the most ordinary circumstances of life, but it is their mystery and depth.
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When the soul is alive in us we can make connections, be involved, and feel in touch with the people around us and the things we do. Connectedness is another hallmark of the soul. It’s important in our work not only to be excited about being successful and making money, but also deeply concerned about the value of what we’re doing and having a stake in the outcome or product. If you can take romanticism and sentimentality out of the word, you could say that it’s necessary to love what we’re doing and what we’re making. People who are frustrated with their work often say they simply don’t love what they’re doing and therefore feel unmotivated to get to work. Love is the impetus that propels us toward our life work."
Today’s Work: Moore says this love can be “a basic feeling that the work you’re doing has value, fits you, and matches a desire to accomplish something.” How does your current work satisfy these criteria?
Share your responses with Barque readers, by replying to this discussion.
Writing about the soul, the Greek philosopher Heracleitus emphasized depth: “You could never find the limits of the soul, no matter how many roads you took so deep is its mystery.” Deep is perhaps the best word to describe the experience of the soul -- deep feelings, deep thoughts, deep connections, deep projects. Soul is there in the most ordinary circumstances of life, but it is their mystery and depth.
**
When the soul is alive in us we can make connections, be involved, and feel in touch with the people around us and the things we do. Connectedness is another hallmark of the soul. It’s important in our work not only to be excited about being successful and making money, but also deeply concerned about the value of what we’re doing and having a stake in the outcome or product. If you can take romanticism and sentimentality out of the word, you could say that it’s necessary to love what we’re doing and what we’re making. People who are frustrated with their work often say they simply don’t love what they’re doing and therefore feel unmotivated to get to work. Love is the impetus that propels us toward our life work."
Today’s Work: Moore says this love can be “a basic feeling that the work you’re doing has value, fits you, and matches a desire to accomplish something.” How does your current work satisfy these criteria?
Share your responses with Barque readers, by replying to this discussion.
Views: 16
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Robert Klass on
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While I was thinking about the writings on this board today, I started thinking about how we are considering being gratified by our work and identifying where it fits into our lives. A life that feels out of balance probably is out of balance...especially if we are the person who decides whether we love what we're doing or not. I guess that's a question that I have about this ongoing discussion..."How much of being gratified by our work and loving what we do is just a decision that we do or do not make...or is it something that's out of our control?"
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Permalink Reply by RussellSD on
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Hi Robert,
In my experience, while I may have enjoyed past work, somehow there was, within, a certain uneasiness and a pull toward something more. That internal activity was beyond my control, although I could certainly act and feel happy, have fun, and smile in my work at that time. Nonetheless, a certain unrest was always present....
best
russell
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Hi Russell,
I have also felt that "pull toward something more," and I suspect that it is part of the human experience. For me, it brings up certain questions, including "What is that "always present certain unrest" about? Is there something within us...perhaps our soul...that has us search for greater meaning and purpose in our lives? From what I can tell, some people find that greater meaning...or at least they think they have...and some people do not. On some level, it does seem to come down to a decision that we get to make. Aloha, Bob
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Permalink Reply by Julianne on
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There have been periods in my life when I had to have jobs I didn't care much about to support myself while working on own creative projects, and periods when I didn't have to do those other jobs. Now, I find myself in a period when these two kinds of work are finding a common boundary. I'm teaching English and translating while working on my own projects. But I'm engaged with the teaching and translating, and I care about those jobs even though they're not my main focus. Perhaps they take me out of myself, and bring a human connection to my life that was missing when I was only focusing on my own projects. I do feel I have too many things to do, and would prefer to work only on my own projects, but at least the work I do to survive has meaning and is helping others. Life forces you to find a balance.
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Dear Julianne, Thank you for your response. I am finding this ongoing discussion to be very stimulating! While I can definitely relate to your situation, I find myself considering your statement "Life forces you to find a balance." If that is true, why is it that so many people apparently don't find that balance and/or are not even interested in finding it? It seems to me that part of finding a balance is about recognizing what our priorities are in life, and that's a decision that each of us gets to make based on the best information we have at the time. I would say that somebody who is married to their career and works 80 hours a week at the expense of spending quality time with their family has a life that is out of balance. What's also true is that I recognize that is that person's life, and nobody has put me in charge of changing it.
In Genesis, God tells us that he created everything in six days and said all that he created was good. Jesus tells us to "Consider the lilies of the field...they toil not..." I live in Hawaii, and I am a somewhat-lazy organic gardener. If I'm planting an avocado tree, I have no problem with believing that God gave us the sun, the dirt, the rain, etc. to have the tree bear fruit. However, I'm also aware that I have certain information about watering, fertilizing, etc. that can enhance the tree's chances of making it. What I choose to do with that information...whether it comes from God or not...is about a choice that I get to make. That's what having freedom of choice in our lives is all about. What's also true is that, even with the most dedicated gardener, not everything that you plant is going to make it. When that happens, I'm not going to think that God is personally punishing me or that I have personally been betrayed by my relationship with the rest of the universe. In fact, if I can keep my head straight about what my life is really about, I'm going to say "Thank you, God" and keep on planting trees. Aloha, Bob
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