[Further Explorations]

[Part 2]

Q. I'm having a difficult time negotiating the issues described in Do What You Love... namely, (a) staying in a job, even when you don't like it, and learning to become more "Zen-like" in your relationship to the job, say as a Buddhist servant, and (b) quitting and finding a job that allows you a path to be an actualizing adult.

A. In one sense,there's almost no difference: even if you found a job that "allows you a path to self-actualizing unfoldment," you'd have aspects you didn't like, and as part of your letter states, you'd end up treating the tedious parts of that with more discipline and reverence. In another sense, there's a huge difference as you'll see if you read on.

The way you word your inquiry, it seems as though you're expecting a job is going to "do" something to you -- that you sit there, sort of ripe for unfolding, when the right job (like the right spouse?) acts upon you, completes you. First, learning to become more "Zen-like" in your relationship to any job should, in theory at least, lead you to wisdom, enlightenment, and so on. Second, the 'do what you love' idea relates to vocation: the inner summons! When love (i.e., of the inner summons) leads our work (i.e., love for some value like beauty, freedom, service, etc.), then the self-actualizing has begun!

Your friendly author comes at all things, work included, like an artist. Now that essentially is the nature of the self-actualizing mind which senses, and loves, something truly rare and fine within and longs at all costs, even self-sacrifice, to express/reflect that "content" (i.e.,that love) in concrete terms. Need I add that such love is not of a romantic nature? It's the agape/compassion/compelling purpose love. A distant mentor, the graphic artist, educator, and philosopher, Ben Shahn once explained this perfectly:

"There is considerable content which extends through one's work, appearing, disappearing, changing, growing; the shaping power of rejection... the constant activity of revising one's ideas... [all present] to a greater or lesser degree in the work of any painter who is deeply occupied in trying to impress his personality upon inert matter." (J.Morse, ed., Ben Shahn, p. 84)

So now I'd ask you, "Where is the love?" "What is the content, that rare and fine something within you that you long to express at all costs?" I didn't hear it in your question. Once you find it, your mind will be empty -- you'll understand. Then there is no negotiating intellectually subtle issues like this. To quote a Zen saying, then you simply act as if your hair was on fire! Beautiful, yes?

The Center never gives "advice." Yet, a general rule of thumb might be, unless we're independently wealthy we probably wouldn't want to quit our job until we'd landed one that fulfilled our values, vision, life-mission -- in other words, a job that gave us a way in which to impress our love (for whatever -- art, carpentry, empowering others, selling row boats, etc.) upon this earthly experience. Hope this clarifies, with thanks. It's fun to answer questions when they're as intelligent as yours.

May you be blessed so as to be a blessing and may you wish me the same! (M.S.)