Support My Work
I have been thinking all fall about how to do what I love while supporting my loved ones. Inspired by what I know of Rudolf Steiner's research into social health, I am seeking to separate what I receive to meet my family's needs from the work that I do for the sake of the world. It is all inspired by this beautiful quote "social bodies are healthier, the more each individual is able to give of their labour to their fellow humans and the more their needs are met by the labours of those around them" (http://calebbuchbinder.blogspot.ca). I pulled this out of a friends blog, I can't tell you whether these are his words or someone else's. It sounds a little like communism, I guess, but this time with human freedom instead of work being controlled by the state.
This is a fascinating reversal of the current social paradigm in which our work is often chiefly to support ourselves.
But how can this reversal take place? How can we shift our thinking and our actions to begin working in this way?
One way that I see this happening is through gifts. Yes, there are many people who’s work feels to them like a gift to the world. Some of these people even get paid to do this work! For these people I would say there is social health. However, I would say that there are many more people who’s work is not done for the sake of other’s but for the sake of themselves. It is a sad reality of our economy that people feel forced into selfishness to meet their basic needs. It is strange to even think of it as selfishness. It is just the way our society functions. We mostly work as a means of keeping ourselves fed, housed and clothed. What if, instead, we worked mostly for the sake of others?
The image of every person working entirely to meet the needs of those around them lights me up! I experience a feeling of connectivity and support when I picture a society working actively in this way. Further, I love the sense of freedom and inspiration that comes from knowing that I am supported to do the work I love. I don’t have to worry about where my bread is coming from because other’s have my back. All I need to concern myself with is the gifts I have to offer and the needs I see around me which I would like to help address.
Well, I see some needs and I have some gifts and I would love the freedom to work away diligently on them. There are some tasks I feel are uniquely mine and I don’t want to be concerned with whether or not they fit the mould of a paycheque. Why does this sound so wrong? I want to work hard on transforming the world we live in for the better and I want this to be possible for all of humanity. At this point, if I have to take a job, I might transform society in the process, but I'll be doing it to keep my family out of debt. I know that if I had the resources of support behind me, I could take my work to a whole other level. I think that this is entirely within the scope of human possibility and I would like to start now. I can’t go on working for money while my inspirations get pushed aside because they aren’t getting paid. I need help!
