Would you work even if no one paid you for it?

Work is Worship, Work gives me satisfaction…Work = life for me, I would be nothing if not for my work. All these statements intrigue me. Read ahead for some observations and findings.

Since ancient times now, human beings have been “working”. Some have a reason to work, some invent one and some are blissful in not having one. Reason or nor reason, we work. Be it a housewife at home, an entrepreneur who creates his own work, an artist whose expression becomes his work, an employee who works for someone etc etc…What exactly makes a human being want to work or have to work? Is it money? May be not, for, in the times of barter too, we did carry out some activities which were not necessarily for any commercial gains. It was more of need based exchange of goods and services. If it were simply for rupees or dollars that we work today, why do we dread the thought of being paid a hefty sum for non occupation? With due respect to the exceptions who are capable of digesting unearned salaries. Having said that, our need to work is not necessarily linked to money. Money or no money, we would surely engage ourselves in some kind of activity.

Literally, work means a set of activities that all of us engage in at some of point of time or for a period of time. A Need is intrinsic and basic in nature, the fulfillment of which gives us a sense of satisfaction. For example, food and water satisfy our basic needs of hunger and thirst. It is only when these are left unfulfilled that we realize how primary they are to one’s existence. Assuming that Irrespective of the existence of Money, we would like to engage in some activity, “working” or being engaged possibly leads to fulfillment of some basic need in a human being. Let’s now try and understand what that basic need in us is.

Each one of us is a bundle of energy captured in a particular form. I do not know much of science but know that energy is not meant to be lying idle, rather cannot be idle. The fundamental characteristic of energy is that it gets transformed. Even if we choose not to move physically, mental energy is in action. This energy needs to be channelised. It is like generating electricity through channelizing water in a river stream. Although apparently, a river stream may look calm or in some cases even idle, there is a lot of activity that goes on inside it. The process of channelization also gets coloured depending on the circumstances in which we are planted. It either takes a negative or a positive connotation. For example, the bundle of energy is possibly the same when we are born but our childhood, schooling, friends and parents all through a process of conditioning, carve a channel for that energy. We often, say that a man is better known by the company that he keeps. This helps us understand that by and large, a person born amongst goons might become one or a teacher’s child would possibly first think of teaching. This is purely to be seen as an example for the effect the circumstances can have on us. Further to this, the element of choice also helps us transform the energy within us or to move it to positivity. The person born into poverty may choose to educate himself and grow up to be a learned man against all odds or you may juxtapose this situation with that of a child born to a wealthy businessman who grows up to be a wastrel. Hence, we know that there is some energy within all of us which always looks for an outlet.
For simpler understanding, we can categorize this energy as positive or negative depending on the activity for which it is used or the effect that it has. In absolute terms, positive energy is one that creates and negative energy would be one that destroys (for a moment, lets set aside, the creation that is possible through destruction). In essence, both involve expression. The energy within gets manifested in the form of the expression.

Every human being is said to manifest through him, a certain set of intentions which belong to the entire cosmos. It is like a subset of the universe. The ingredients that form part of each bundle of energy may be the same but differ in proportions and hence manifested differently with different intensities and focus. An example for this could be the five elements that constitute our body. The elements are the same but each body and the system inside are different. Having the same base elements, some bodies are dark, light, heavy, long, short, etc. In case of bodies, genes play an important role in creating a unique body, similarly, the situations/circumstances that one is brought up in shapes up his choice of “energy expression” which could be to create or to destroy. Also, as mentioned above, the intensity of or the focus of the “energy elements” or set of intentions that one would manifest differs from person to person. It is the dominance of one these elements that defines your intrinsic need to “do something” and leave the rest of the elements or intentions available to you. Hence, we find that some people have a natural inclination towards Arts/Sports/Academics/Commerce etc. It is this part of your natural being that looks for an outlet over a period of years.

The energy within brings out a need to transform itself into some other form and therefore a human being finds purpose in engaging himself in some form of activity. It is this energy in each one of us that needs an expression and makes us work. Hence, money or no money, a human being will always be involved in some activity and keep this energy engaged, for, this precious energy cannot be wasted.

One level higher, people who are able to find their respective focus are the people who derive joy out of their work. With a little bit of search within, one can know what is it that makes him come alive and what makes him listless.