One of the biggest struggles men have is coming to the realization that they will have to work for their entire lives.
They will have to spend the majority of their lives in a cubicle doing something they do not want to do and aren’t interested in doing.
Many men get stuck here because they put themselves in a Position where they have no choice but to work.
It’s not work done from their own free will, it’s work done to survive. Men sell their hours for dollars that they then spend on survival.
All the while they question if survival is worth it in the first place.
Every man goes through this period of difficulty.
If this is you, don’t worry. This is normal.
Even the wisest man to have ever lived, Solomon, experienced this phenomenon and outlined it in the book of Ecclesiastes.
While traditional Christian thinking tries to teach young boys that work is all about finding some “purpose” and “fulfillment”, Solomon teaches [through inspiration from the Holy Spirit] that work is a “burdensome task”, a task that “Robs sleep”, and one that is “vanity”.
“And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.”
Ecclesiastes 1:13 (NKJV)
“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NKJV)
“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NKJV)
“Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 2:17 (NKJV)
“For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 2:23 (NKJV)
“For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 2:23 (NKJV)
In the end all our work means nothing. All of our work will fade into obscurity.
It might have helped us and our family survive, which itself is noble, but that is where the benefit stops.
Even workers who built something that lasted centuries are quickly forgotten.
How often have you thought about the builders of the Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, or the Notre Dame Cathedral?
This idea of “Purpose” and “True Fulfillment” that circulates in Christian circles is most likely a Myth.
Another myth commonly propagated in the church is this idea that if you work, somehow you will stumble on “true fulfillment” and “It will all be worth it”.
Not only can Christian men not define what “fulfillment” even is, but they certainly can’t tell you how to get it.
Even when they can define it, it is very clear that “fulfillment” to them is an emotional state.
As far as “It will all be worth it” is concerned: understand that this is a complete myth.
Your human nature won’t allow for anything to be worth it. And the “It” is “all that work”.
We can prove this quite easily.
Have you ever noticed that no destination is ever as enjoyable or as exciting as the journey to get there?
No vacation is as exciting as planning for the vacation and the excitement that leads up to it.
This is by design.
Our neurological pursuit systems are stronger than our reward systems for some reason. This is not an accident, but something God put within us to ensure we are continually pushing towards some goal.
Understanding that, we can easily see how nothing is ever truly “Worth it”.
That’s a depressing reality, but it is reality nonetheless.
No accomplishment will ever be worth the work it took to get there.
It will only disappoint.
If you find yourself working a day job, being unfulfilled, and coming home every day dreading the next day, you aren’t alone. This is the nature of mankind.
Your job will never be what you wanted it to be.
You will never be as excited about your work as you were when you were a kid and were in such a hurry to grow up and be something.
If you want satisfaction in work, you have to create your own kind of work.
You have to create work where you can do something you semi-enjoy, while being compensated well, while also not having to spend many hours doing that work.
It’s a tall order, but this is the age of opportunity.
You can research and find ways to accomplish this.
I truly believe that only when you free yourself from the modern slavery that we create for ourselves by the endless pursuit of material gain [while mindlessly following the traditional 9-5 pipeline] can you ever hope to find any happiness or fulfillment.
You’ll be far happier removing something you hate that you will from adding something you might enjoy.
Nothing will ever be as enjoyable as its opposite is painful.
So get rid of the pain.
Free yourself.
Conduct yourselves like men
