> And if the question was asked the answer had nothing to do with the company's mission? That's amazing
No offense, are you being for real? Do you think a single employee gives even the faintest of a fuck about the company's mission?
Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.
People work for exactly one thing, money. The trick is making the money in the least expensive way - expenses being time, energy, and health. It's all fun going to an office 5 days a week until you're old, fat, and your smoking habit has caught up to you. And now what? You die feeling like you did the last 30 years of your life: shit.
Who will remember you? I won't. Your coworkers won't. The company as a whole won't. And what did you gain?
Everything in life is a game of cost analysis. If you're not prioritizing yourself and your own cost analysis, you're a sucker. There're people making more money than you, who are MUCH happier, who work less, and are healthier. Do you want to continue a life of jealousy and self-hatred? Or, will you demand better for yourself? Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought.
> Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.[…] Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought.
You sound very young or very jaded. That's unfortunate.
As for "Everyone does X", I'll remind you of the saying that "A thief always thinks everyone is trying to steal from him."
You wrote a long ass reply just to express your miserabalist nihilist world view. When you find yourself doing that online or in real life, just get therapy because while it might seem normal and sane to you, it's an unhinged and unhealthy state of mind. :-(
P.s. If you have time for a break, do watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi or The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness for insights on how others found meaning in the work they do daily.
It's not miserabilist or nihilist. I'm a very happy person and there's a lot I care about. My family, my partner, my friends, and the memories and experiences I live. I care about the ones who love me and the things we do together.
I don't care about work because I'm not pathetic. Ultimately when you inevitably die you won't remember meetings, or cubicles, or water cooler talk. And that's really the big idea. Who do you want to be? What do you want to spend your care on? And, who will care? I can tell you right now - not a single person in your life who matters gives a single fuck about what you do at work. So WHO are you performing for?
And, to be clear, everyone does bullshit it at work. I have genuine interactions constantly when I'm out. Never at work. It's corporate America, everything is at least a little off, a little filtered. I'm not the first one to make the observation. To me, it's obvious, so if you're not seeing it, you might be socially deficient.
> I don't care about work because I'm not pathetic.
I honestly don't know who you're trying to convince. The lady doth protest overmuch me thinks. Perhaps you're hoping I'll collapse under the sheer weight of your tedious prose and say, actually, you're right, my work 'tis sound and fury signifying nothing after all, you're so right?
> Ultimately when you inevitably die you won't remember meetings, or cubicles, or water cooler talk. And that's really the big idea.
That's actually a small and pathetic idea because, unless you've made a groundbreaking discovery in neuroscience, I'm sure no one remembers anything after they die. People who mistake useless ideas for profound insights definitely need therapy. That's called delusion.
> Who do you want to be?
I want to be someone who does great work.
> What do you want to spend your care on? And, who will care? I can tell you right now - not a single person in your life who matters gives a single fuck about what you do at work.
I'm genuinely sorry no one in your life cares about what you spend most of your week doing. That's really tragic.
But even if I were in your shoes and no one cared, that's irrelevant. I care! and in the calculus of existence, my opinion of myself is what matters.
> So WHO are you performing for?
It's actually you who is performing, or rather affecting, a rather tired brand of cynicism. Incidentally, cynical people tend to perform worse than average in cognitive tests so …
But seriously, your talking to a man who was trained by Opus Dei. We believe that any work whatsoever is a sacrament which we offer to God, and so that imbues even the most trivial janitorial work (which I have done in the past) with deep significance. And that's even before I go on a long spiel about how I love my work and what I'm doing is literally what I dreamt of doing as a boy.
But good luck to you, friend. To each his own. It's your life, you're living, not mine. I wish you well.
I don't want you to do anything. I think this is food for thought for you, because from where I'm standing this isn't a perspective you consider. In my eyes, you've adopted a condition of self-destruction. It's incredibly common, but most don't know there are other options.
> I want to be someone who does great work
You can be that, but you'll have to live with the reality that nobody cares.
I want to be a great husband, a reliable friend, somebody funny, somebody people want to be around. I think people care about that. I know nobody I care about cares about my PRs.
> I'm genuinely sorry no one in your life cares about what you spend most of your week doing. That's really tragic.
Nobody in your life cares either, you've just convinced yourself they do so that you can cope with your circumstances and mindset.
If you leave your job tomorrow, the world will keep spinning. Your coworkers will move on remarkably quickly. In fact, if you dropped dead right now, they wouldn't even stop working.
> I care! and in the calculus of existence, my opinion of myself is what matters
Right, I'm addressing your mindset. The fact you care is the problem, not the solution. It's a recipe for misery.
Because your influence on your work is inherently extremely limited. You are a small fraction of the big picture, virtually negligible and worthless. If you attach an emotional string to your work, you WILL face the failures of others.
Is this what you want? Do you want your pride to be in the hands of hundreds, maybe thousands of people you don't care about and who also don't care about you? Because, when people say they care most about work, this is what they're saying.
For me, I'm in such a position where if the company goes under tomorrow, I won't waste my breath. And... for you? Will you cry yourself to sleep? What will come of your ego and image? If that's all you are, then you are not much.
> a rather tired brand of cynicism
Yes, advocating community and a love for life is "cynical"
What is actually cynical is believing your work is your self-worth.
> We believe that any work whatsoever is a sacrament which we offer to God, and so that imbues even the most trivial janitorial work (which I have done in the past) with deep significance
And I actually agree with this!
Your mistake is equating a JOB to WORK in general.
WORK includes emotional work, social work, chores, the mundane, and hobbies.
Your job is the least important work you do. It has the least impact on the world. Many people's jobs actually have a negative impact, because their company performs evil. Certainly, I wouldn't want to be working at Bayer Pharmaceutical when they gave thousands of people HIV.
You want to do work that's meaningful? Go make a cup of coffee for your wife or husband. Observe how that makes them feel and how it makes you feel.
No offense, are you being for real? Do you think a single employee gives even the faintest of a fuck about the company's mission?
Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.
People work for exactly one thing, money. The trick is making the money in the least expensive way - expenses being time, energy, and health. It's all fun going to an office 5 days a week until you're old, fat, and your smoking habit has caught up to you. And now what? You die feeling like you did the last 30 years of your life: shit.
Who will remember you? I won't. Your coworkers won't. The company as a whole won't. And what did you gain?
Everything in life is a game of cost analysis. If you're not prioritizing yourself and your own cost analysis, you're a sucker. There're people making more money than you, who are MUCH happier, who work less, and are healthier. Do you want to continue a life of jealousy and self-hatred? Or, will you demand better for yourself? Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought.