Work provides so much more purpose than most people realize. Most of our waking days are spent working for some organization. We live to make money for ourselves and other people. It sounds messy but somehow it just works. Work gives people a reason to wake up in the morning, put on a nice outfit, and leave the house. Work allows people to socialize without strain or unreasonable pressure. Work allows us to make enough money to live a comfortable life.

I think it’s difficult to realize the power of ‘work’ until it’s gone.

Quitting a job to pursue something new has an exciting quality to it, you have a plan and you’re moving towards something. Getting fired, laid off, or having to quit because of harassment feels different. The purpose is taken away, there’s no excitement in moving forward. You have to stay put in unemployment until the next thing comes along.

It doesn’t feel like there is much of a purpose in unemployment when you’re in it. Motivation lacks and days feel longer. There’s a popular view of unemployment, that it’s a blessing, that it means you have time to do all the things you’ve been putting off. In a way, this is true, but in so many ways it isn’t. Unwanted unemployed time is tainted by the stress of finding another way to make an income. Money is what makes the world go around. Stressing about money might be one of the worst things in the world. It puts people into a frozen state where they can’t function. The extreme amount of stress paralyzes people into sadness.

Working is a blessing. Having a proper job is a blessing. Keeping a job you hate might be just as painful as unemployment and I understand that wholeheartedly. To the passionate workers in the world, you are envied.

Work gives a purpose. I hope employers see and recognize it that way too.