‘The Money Maker and the Machine’

To merely say that ‘An organization serves multiple purposes’ is not going to impress any genuine thinker. Now, come on! This is a fact that we are familiar with. But to give an appraisal for the sake of giving an appraisal is pathetic. I know of times when an individual does his job well but the management is seldom satisfied. The concept of work not only needs redefining but the exploitation that was initially disguised now appears too blatant. Work is viewed as more difficult than studies and naturally because it is highly intrusive. There are organizations (whose names I will not mention) that expect not just professional output but also personal gimmicks. It is not their business to be taken in by style and interpersonal skills that they can use to their advantage. Now such caprice sidelines work and gives way to extraneous aspects of human life in the wake of the professional one.
Coming back to the so called ‘appraisal’ if you are creative they complain that you are not disciplined. If you are disciplined they level the charge against you that you are too rigid. Working as you can see in such stifling conditions extracts from the slave not just slavery but also ‘life’. This is clearly not a delightful experience. Working as you can see under such unreasonable demands drains you of your self-esteem. This is not what you were meant for. There are opportunities, plenty of them but how many of them are enjoyable. How many of them are worth your time? You may argue that most people work for a living and not for pleasure but that is what slavery is all about. The question then is – do you wish to be a slave or do you wish to become one with what you relish doing?
You may be wondering what the purpose of this article is. Is it to debunk work or is it a justification of personal choice? Mine is a justification of personal choice. Everything you do professionally seems to need a formal sanction and an approval. This is true even in academics. You’re ability to survive creatively lies in your ability to convince your superiors and not necessarily through a clear explanation. This is where the problem is. First, you are encouraged to have a passion. It is not enough if you say that you want to do what you choose to do because you have to do it but you need to have a passion for it which is why you choose to do it and of course. This has become a ready-made answer for many candidates. The employer or the superior is well aware of it but plays along and then it is no longer a lie because it is acceptable. When for personal reasons someone lies, the lie retains its identity.
My point is that there is an issue of expectations. On the one hand through self-righteousness they urge you not to have expectations as that has become a popular philosophy. On the other they say that they sack people who are not result-oriented. Now isn’t this self-contradictory? The philosophy has its place in the order of things purely for its glamour value. It serves the function of a two-edged sword. The user is the man in power. The one who bleeds is the overpowered. There is no legitimate translation of hard work and sincerity in a transaction that is quite self-defeating. The only motive behind such transactions is wealth but what’s the use in wealth if it is only going to kill your mental health? What’s the use in generating money when life itself is made to look funny? The original motive behind making money is obviously that without money you will be miserable. Then you may say take the middle of the road view. But the appraisal will say, you need to freak out more. You need to be more open and free.
This is the mask of the market at the moment. It is a mask that shows itself to be a mask but does not want you to identify it as a mask for then you will not be hired. What is one to do in such a situation? Probably now is the time to look at this problem and see how it can be bypassed to seek other means that will give you happiness that money and skill no longer seem to guarantee.