Dont Bullshit. Just Think.

Work is our new Religion

What is the prime provider of identity in your life? Is it your world view or religion? Is it your role in your family or local community? Is it your job?

I think for most of us, the answer is our jobs. Our jobs provide a lot of our identity. Formerly, this function might have been served by our religion or our role in the local community. But now, it seems, we identify most strongly with our jobs. I have two concerns with that.

Firstly, I fear that it will limit our thinking. When we get used to thinking in a specific way, our personality can become focused on one perspective on life. The one our job provides. We forget that there are other perspectives out there.

Secondly, having work as the primary identity provider in our lives will subordinate all other aspects to it. We might order weekly food deliveries to save time & work more. We might postpone meeting our friends to a time where there will be less work. As if there will ever be less work.

We cannot make work our new religion. We cannot have it take over all other aspects of our lives. We cannot make our lives subordinate to work — it has to be the other way round!


Published December 13th, 2015 by Sebastian — All PostsImpressum