The challenge

“What do you do?” a usually innocent item of small talk, but it can be complicated. The questioner is expecting a short two or three word answer of your job title. Maybe followed up with the company, or organisation, you work for. Since being self employed, and engagement with the minimalist movement, I have developed a new understanding of this phrase. People’s reactions to something non-standard can be varied. Especially if what you are saying challenges their expectations.

My inspiration for this post

Our friend Ken, who lives in a remote part of Vancouver Island, Canada, recently placed the narrative below on Facebook. It reminded me of the thought provoking debate, “should what you are paid to do define who you are, and your place in society?”. Little Green Duckie regulars will recognise Ken as the host for our remote visit to Quatsino.  This prompted my previous post “from 10 million people to just 55”. 

The text below is reposted with his permission…..

“I seem to get asked a lot.. Ken What do you do?  Then I say, “I live out in Quatsino, semi off grid, fish, swim, walk in the forest and hang out with Mixer my dog. I have started getting into art, learning how to grow my own food, listen to tunes, and so on.. Then I usually get…”Yeh but, What do you do?” I find it quite astounding that in the western world your job title becomes who you are and what you do. It really has quite a reaction from people in the street or strangers that ask the “what do you do question” that don’t know where I live, or me at all.  I will respond “I walk the earth trying to get people to see how beautiful they are.” Any answer that is not a job title really throws people off.

Why do we put ourselves through such a dis-connect from who and what we truly are. How can anyone ever truly discover who they are when their whole lives are dictated by green and red lights, mindless tasks, basically the human soul is what is feeding the monster we call the economy. This system is designed to devour our connection to the planet, each other and ourselves. We become so individually minded in our daily routine that we often don’t even see others pain, or have time to help. We eat food that is prepared for us, and all our water is in plastic bottles. This alone in a child’s view has no real clue that these are gifts from the Earth not our Government.

The Cosmic Giggle, as Terence McKenna would refer to it as, is that place where we realise our true potential, to see the beauty in ourselves, to see our infinite selves, to see our true light.  We can never really achieve this when our minds are consumed by the malarkey of society.  

I have a very good situation I live in now. Where rent is cheap, I live in paradise. My days are spent with my mind allowed to constantly ponder life, myself and my purpose.  The key for me is a zero credit policy. No debt. I live here now, but when I started really seeing I was in Vancouver, with my own business, making more money than I ever had. Spent 2-4 hrs a day in traffic, worked 8-10 hrs a day. Had a nice place I was never at, had a nice truck I used to get to work, I had tools for work. But not one day in the summer did I spend at the lake. WTF!  This is where I decided that this “adulthood” was not for me, or the adulthood that was indoctrinated in me.

When we think our position in this world, or society, has anything to do with our job, and there are so very few jobs that truly make someone feel good about themselves. How are we, as a race, to ever see our true potential, when the individual rarely has the time to explore who they are? I just want you to know. I see you, you are not alone, we are in this together, you are loved  ~Imagine One Love~”

My thoughts

What many people tend to mean by “what do you do?” is “what do you do to make money”. Or they are trying to see if we have something in common with that person. In some cultures the asker is trying to judge if the person is of the same social standing as themselves.  

Surely there are better ways to find out if you have something in common with someone? I tell them something I am passionate about when they ask the “what do you do?” question, and then ask what they are passionate about. I hope to get a more interesting conversation about the positive aspects of their life. Rather than what they do to make money, that they may enjoy less than other things.

However they could be someone who is passionate about the thing that also pays the bills. This may have come easily. Or it may have taken a number of less satisfying incarnations before they got where they are. The challenge comes if they don’t actually know what they are passionate about!  

Over to you….

Try this next time you are in a social situation and see what happens!

What phrases or questions do you use instead of “What do you do?”.