Tell me your Job Title, I’ll tell you what you are…

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted something, even longer since I wrote something of my own. A lot has been going on these days and I have been slow to respond to many emails from my dear friends. Sometimes life gets so busy and you have so many things to do that you just can’t do anything at all. Sigh. These days are one of those times.

It’s also been a long time since I’ve had a deep hearty discussion with anyone. After my first Black Friday, I realize how inundated by consumerism I am and feel as though I am drowning in superficiality. I miss spending time with close friends – laughing and yelling at each other for no apparent reason.

I’ve felt this for awhile but am slowly gaining concrete evidence for this belief of mine – a job title can never define who you are. People may ask you what you do for a living, as though that says something about your personality. It doesn’t. It may indicate how much money you make, or a particular interest or passion you may have, or just something that pays the bills you’ve accrued as you really live your life. The skeptic in me would say they just want to know your monetary value given the materialistic society we live in. Anyhow, I maintain that a job title or job function bears absolutely no definition of who you really are.

Suppose you meet someone new at some random place.. you talk to them for a bit and think their personality is quite interesting… maybe this person will be a good friend.. then you wonder “what does this person actually do?”. Maybe something in you will ask them. Their response will be something you completely didn’t expect… blah..i don’t know.. maybe they work in a mortuary or morgue or something. Maybe they are a doctor. Oh my God! if they work in a morgue, do you think they are sadistic and obsessed with death? if they are a doctor, do you think they are compassionate and giving? Obviously, their professions do not reflect their personalities. What if they lose their jobs or decide to make a career change? Does your friendship change? Do you judge your friends by the job titles they temporary have or by the friendship and commonalities that you share? It seems that many people are overly concerned with job titles. I’ve met some ladies who’ve married doctors…when asked what their names are, they are quick to answer “My name is so-and-so and my husband is a doctor.” Umm..what’s the relevance? Does it look like I care to know what your husband does? What happened to the friendships that were based on similar hobbies and past-times? Have I lost you?

~ by nayya on 26 November, 2006.