You are made to believe that the way to do it is divine. That, the effort that you put in your work is like serving God. That, you are performing the Almighty's job on Earth. You do not have to display your piety for others to see. All you have to do is to serve, everything else will take care of itself. You follow suit.
Then you realise that life cannot be all work. The people that you thought you have been sacrificing all your life for suddenly turn their back against you. They start hurling accusations of this and that. That you had been shortchanging them; that that is your job - your only job is to serve them. You, on the other hand, thought they would be eternally grateful to you for you had sacrificed everything for them in the course of your vocation. You thought yours was a calling. It, apparently, was not. It was just another job. You are just another spoke in the machinery of society that moves it forward.
The tale that the people before you told were just to ensure that everyone kept their gab shut and did as they were told. You were the clown cajoled to maintain equilibrium while those in the realm of power did what they did best- flaunt their power. You were suckered into believing that you were doing something right, something noble, something indispensable but... the wrong answer.
You had worked like your life depended on it, now you have to work as that is the only work you know. And any remote chance to clear your name depended on it as the pressures of seeking legal representation mounts together with their bills. Your future, your honour, your own self-esteem, removing your name of alleged negligence all rest on it.
Yours, they say, is just a job. Just like everybody else, you are given a job. But, your duties are not a 9 to 5 pushing buttons or envelopes kind of work. You cannot just wash your hands come punch-out time. In fact, you do not clock out. You are beyond all that and more.
Hence the dilemma...
You convince yourself that Chitragupta and St Peters are taking the tally.
Then you realise that life cannot be all work. The people that you thought you have been sacrificing all your life for suddenly turn their back against you. They start hurling accusations of this and that. That you had been shortchanging them; that that is your job - your only job is to serve them. You, on the other hand, thought they would be eternally grateful to you for you had sacrificed everything for them in the course of your vocation. You thought yours was a calling. It, apparently, was not. It was just another job. You are just another spoke in the machinery of society that moves it forward.
The tale that the people before you told were just to ensure that everyone kept their gab shut and did as they were told. You were the clown cajoled to maintain equilibrium while those in the realm of power did what they did best- flaunt their power. You were suckered into believing that you were doing something right, something noble, something indispensable but... the wrong answer.
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Yama's scribe who keeps the record of peoples'
karma. © Devdutt Pattanaik
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You had worked like your life depended on it, now you have to work as that is the only work you know. And any remote chance to clear your name depended on it as the pressures of seeking legal representation mounts together with their bills. Your future, your honour, your own self-esteem, removing your name of alleged negligence all rest on it.
Yours, they say, is just a job. Just like everybody else, you are given a job. But, your duties are not a 9 to 5 pushing buttons or envelopes kind of work. You cannot just wash your hands come punch-out time. In fact, you do not clock out. You are beyond all that and more.
Hence the dilemma...
You convince yourself that Chitragupta and St Peters are taking the tally.
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