Why Work is Divine – Part 4

A term that has become more a part of our vocabulary

and life over the last thirty years then the word and

idea of divine or being divine is “workaholic”.

The workaholic is thought of someone who lives only to

work or feels a need and desire to work everyday and

all of the time.

When we use such a word to describe another, we are

usually saying it in a manner that is degrading to

them or implies that they have some disease, sickness

or weakness.

With that kind of outlook on and approach to another

person’s life, we could start to see new words soon

like gossipaholic, complainaholic, demonizeraholic and anxietyaholic in the near future.

We already have words like alcoholic, shopaholic and workaholic.

It is true that many people like and love to work.

That in itself is not destructive. If they work

because they can find little in other experiences in

life to give them fulfillment or satisfaction we may

think that such a way of living may be a cause for

some concern.

If through their interest in, need to or obsession

with work, they lose the ability to take care of their

loved ones or relate to them in a caring and

compassionate manner, all might say that this is most unacceptable and has the potential for long - term pain

 and confusion among all concerned.

Perhaps it is not accurate to say that one who works a

lot is a workaholic but instead to see what their

overall approach to life and work is.

Are they relaxed and focused both at work and at

leisure, or tense and restless in both.

Such an appraisal may be a more skillful one then just

blindly labeling an individual as being a workaholic.

But regardless of how one approaches work and the

tasks and activities associated with it, what are

other ways that we can look at and think of work as

being divine.

One is that through work and our attitude to it, our

attitude to our leisure time is partially formulated.

If we see work and our work as being one of great

sacrifice and suffering, we may be more likely to look

at our leisure activities and actions as being one

that pursues pleasure and excitement at any cost.

If we see work as being part of life and accept its

sacrifices and challenges then we are less likely to overindulge during our free time.

It we resent the demands that are placed on us at

work, and the people that we have to work with, who

and what might we foolishly escape to and through

during our free time.

Work should result in one important realization about

our free and leisure time.

That is it a gift and something to be appreciated and cherished, not something that we use as a way to abuse

 our mind and body.

The teachings of Yoga, when presented in their most

holistic way, place great emphasis on our leisure time

and how we use it.

They advise us to seek out and cultivate healthy

habits, healthy activities and healthy people.

Through this three pronged experience, the divine is

further accessed, cultivated and strengthened within

us.

Through the experience of working and the income that

we derive from it, we can appreciate and use our free

time better, or we can use our free time as one where

we cultivate the negative and destructive.

©2004 John C. Kimbrough

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can

be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)