Miscellaneous Musings on Labor Day

I read an article in the New York Times yesterday about a 58-year-old man who was having a difficult time finding a job. It’s been 18 months since he worked. Then I heard on NPR radio today that 3.8 million people found jobs last month. 

Last week I moderated a panel for UW Extension and there were about 300 people in the audience. When I asked, the vast majority volunteered that they were in a career change. Some of those had been laid off, some had not.

All these facts and figures can get really confusing. I keep getting this feeling that this economic shift that we’re in is more than just about people’s struggles to find work. The transition that the gentleman in the Times article is experiencing is much broader than just the job. It seems that it began with a divorce, then a move to another state, then another move, and now the challenges he’s facing seem to be so much more internal than external.

Listen to some of his words: “Here’s the reality,” he continues. “I used to be somebody, I had a job. Not anymore. Everything ground to a halt. No sense of purpose. No self-esteem.” If he found a position tomorrow, it’s hard to believe that those feelings would just disappear. 

Maybe the question we need to address is not whether we have a job, but, instead, the age-old question of: "Who am I?" Who are we when we’re out of work, have no sense of direction or financial success? How can we value ourselves and others no matter what job we have or how much money we make? What will it take for us to appreciate the fact that each of us are unique beings with worth, even when the society we’re in tells us something different?