It was a proud declaration made, in the stairwell, by a woman who was clearly over the moon with delight about the prospect.
She was announcing it to her friend but wasn't at all put off by the fact there were other people listening in on her good fortune. I had seen this woman before when she was hesitant to make eye contact, or to move in the stairwell when passing someone lest they touch. All that was behind her now. Now she was going to be a contributor and a participant in the larger social entity that was work. What a transformation. It's not like this came as a big surprize, well the loud announcement was but not the philosophy.
Work is an identifier. You are, at least in part, what you do. It gives you subject matter for conversation and it provides you with experiences, lots of them. It provides you with exersize and structures your day. It adds to your social network. It validates you. When you receive the paycheque it is recognition that you have made a valuable contribution. It doesn't matter how much you do or how much money you make, you are adding to something and people accord you recognition, maybe even respect because of that. And you are no longer ignorable, all the time. Someone, at some time, has to acknowledge your existence, to say “Thank you”, “How's it going?” or “Can you pass me that?” These are part of the myriad of things we who work uninterrupted, regularly take for granted. We often forget and rarely even acknowledge these vital benefits that come from the thing we do.
But imagine life without them; an existence that doesn't interact regularly with other known and trusted humans, where if you are acknowledged at all it's as a detractor from the fruits of society rather than a contributor, a taker, not a giver, a consumer rather than a deliverer. Imagine a life that doesn't contain civil, if any conversation. The reversal of such an existence would be a prize worth sacrifice. I know people who are working for less benefit than they could derive by being on disability pension or welfare. They do this because it's worthwhile paying something to belong. The sense of pride trumps the sense of unfairness. They will make the sacrifice, within reason of course, in order to be like others again, to take or regain a place beside instead of behind.
The icon of loneliness is never more evident than when one can't participate. Participation makes you feel good. It increases the activity level and the satisfaction quotient. Who doesn't remember the exhilaration the first time you could truly claim “Look what I did.” And for people with mental illness it signifies one more thing. You are getting well. Working people are no longer shackled and confined by an illness. And continuing with work, gradually overcoming the small, medium and large sized problems that are part of dealing with a job increases your stamina, raises your ability to cope and makes you stronger. Work makes you well. There I've said it.
The lady in the stairwell was realizing all these things and was so filled with joy she just had to explode with her announcement.
In our building there is a new office of “The Work Less Party.” I'm not sure what their message is, they seem to be closed most of the time so I haven't been able to get a pamphlet or anything. It can't be as simple as the name implies. I don't know why you'd need an office if it was. I know one thing though. They won't be able to recruit the lady in the stairwell.
