Work will be Work, Play might remain Play

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” ~ Confucius (551-479 BC)

Circa, 500 BC

Sire, I agree civilization has prospered and we have graduated from hunters-gatherers to cultivators-warriors, also I agree few by-product businesses like carpenter, potter, blacksmith, shepherd etc have mushroomed, yet in truth job market is still rudimentary and career opportunities too painfully limited, to entertain ideas as elusive as yours. Not to mention deep rooted social stratification holding preconceived notions of class-caste based hierarchical roles and statuses, offering little social mobility. I mean, I am poor farmer, why on earth would I not love to be, let say, a king?? But you tell me Sire, Is there a way?? No. It’s all hereditary inheritance Sire, and all this choose-life-stuff you propagate is nothing but fraudulent talk, having no reality base.

Even if I could choose things I love, I doubt its eternity. You know my love for my wife peaked the day we got married, and since then our relationship equation has only traced a descending hill. Similarly, would not what I will love to do for a living, I will end up loving it a little bit lesser, everyday. No Sire, I am not being dramatic?? Sire, as a child accompanying my father to fields was all fun. No compulsion, just free will. I loved the human-nature interaction, and it made me feel little wiser everyday. But by pre-adulthood when it became essential, it changed the way I interacted with my “lovable” work. It was less fun and more about survival instinct. It became an existential quest and started to own me, and pretty soon the love part died a young death.

Sire like yours, I have heard of some respectful jobs demanding little physical efforts like philosophers, political thinkers, mathematicians, architect and painters yet no one told me who teaches all that. But Sire I believe that fella must be a desperate teacher he often teaches everything to each and every few of those who in divine providence find him. Thus we have either ignorant majority working their arse off to meet ends or the limited editions of polymaths who are into the pleasant routine of thinking.

But Sire, please don’t mind my asking that, but is it not that this thinking job, seemingly howsoever pleasant is monotonous and at times equally demanding as well. Isn't it true that you abandoned your wife and child for your ideological pursuit?? Must be very hard.. no?? I mean now even I can fancy abandoning my wife… but my child !! No Sire, never. It would be too selfish and cruel of me to do so. Please don’t think I am accusing you. How can I!! We are but men of different caliber  But still Sire your choices are extreme, isn't it so that life takes a middle path??   
 
Sire, I guess you talk all this deception only to sound awesome and learned. Or else, you might do believe in the futile wisdom of what you say. In both cases we are too different as if two men from entirely different times. I, and people like me, are never going to understand the utility of your pompous words. To me it is a hurtful lie to fall for. And If I do I will only end up feeling like something is inherently wrong with me, when in reality this entire idea you are trying to sell is basically corrupt. Generations to come, can quote and fancy you, but sorry Sire I am not interested in buying your product.

P.S. : New in job-market and exposed to HR cliché so often, each aiming to program us folks into accepting them without doubt, hence tried being cynical to defend my inability to follow them.