What Are We Working For?
Given the things that have happened in my life over the last year, I often wonder what any of us are working for? I was struck by the feeling that I had wasted my life working.
Most people would agree that I have been a good citizen.
Served in the Marine Corp when I graduated from High School, was promoted to sergeant in my first enlistment, while in the Marines, I went to college and earned a BS in Geophysics, went to work right out of college, and have pretty much spent the rest of my life working very hard for either small businesses, or large corporations.
Any one reading this would agree that I am not unique in this experience; there are scores of people that have done the same thing.
Most of the people I know, that are like me having worked hard their whole lives, and have remained dedicated to the job.
Dedicated to whatever their profession is, and they work hard to keep up with the new products, the ever advancing technology, and doing their best to make money for their employer, and give good service to their employers customers.
All the while struggling on the home front, struggling to keep all the bills paid, keep their family fed, and give their children a good education so they too can be productive members of society.
So many US citizens these days have seen their dedication and hard work be rewarded with layoffs and pay cuts.
As our corporations work to lower labor costs by off shoring the labor to foreign countries that can provide inexpensive workers.
A little over a year ago, working for IBM, I watched as people I worked with got to train the young IBM India employees that were taking over their jobs, as IBM moved their jobs out of the country.
The kids from India were good kids, just like any other young adult, they had desires to succeed and provide a better life for their families.
The US workers training them were equally good people, taking their replacements to the zoo, the museum, sightseeing in the mountains, and off to Walmart, and the Grocery store, both of which really impressed these young folks from India.
In speaking with my colleagues and friends that had worked to train their replacements, I was told that the held no resentment toward their replacements.
I agreed with them when we talked about how you really cannot blame the workers in another country for wanting a better life, a good job, with benefits, and a retirement plan.
A way to feed their family, provide them with comfort, and education.
I want those things; most of the people I know want those things, so how could I hold it against them for wanting what I want? As the summer of 2009 approached and I was faced with the same task, of assisting AT&T in training my Brazilian replacements.
I really gained a lot of respect for my friends with IBM that had gone through the same process, and I felt a moral obligation to help these people to do a good job for their employer.
I have felt most of my life that I had a moral obligation to do the best I could for my employer.
Problem is, my employers have never felt any sort of moral obligation toward me, or the rest of their work force.
Their only obligation in life is to the profits of the company, and to maintaining the incredible pay of their executives and upper management.
Never once feeling any sort of remorse for the hardships they cause their fellow Americans when they leave them without work.
I have spent over 30 years working in the United States of America, and even before I was old enough to work, I have so often heard from the US Corporations the lament that they are not making enough money, labor costs are too high, insurance too high, building a safe work environment costs too much, and on and on.
Often times I think to myself, you know that line sure has gotten old, do you think you might come up with something a little different? All the while these companies and their officers are complaining about their lack of profit, their executives have seen their incomes grow by exponential rates, and the size, and net income of the companies, grow to incredible levels.
Think about it, 50 years ago how many companies grossed billions and operated in multiple countries, and compare that to today.
The number is bigger than ever, and yet with all this growth, and increased income for the executives, the gripe remains the same.
We're not making "enough" money! The desire to make more money has left me unemployed now for eight months.
The ax that had hung over my head for over two years finally fell, and I was laid off.
Having seen this coming, I had searched for new employment, and had been granted a clearance for my upcoming job, and felt fortunate that I was going to avoid the unemployment line.
The new job fell through, and I ended up unemployed anyway.
Like so many people in my same situation I mounted a massive search for work, hundreds and hundreds of resumes sent out.
As the time without income drew out longer and longer, my already depleted savings and retirement accounts were drained to nothing, my house now four months behind, and my checking account dwindling down to its last five hundred dollars.
I was faced with the fact that everything I had worked for was gone, all my hard work and dedication had resulted in nothing.
In a little less than a year I had been reduced to the same financial situation that I had been in thirty years ago.
Over the years I have met a few folks that are fairly unproductive members of our society, real cheats and losers.
I asked one of them one time why he decided to handle money and work they way he had, and if he thought getting a good job and working hard at it would produce better results for him.
He exploded, went on ranting about how corporate America was a lie, and he wasn't going to be duped into working his butt off his whole life only to get screwed in the end.
He exclaimed that he came in with nothing and he is going out with nothing, and it was easier not to work so hard.
Looking at my life now, I was faced with the reality that he might be right! When I looked at the scene, what has happened to me and so many other good people in our county, I couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the whole scene.
I thought to myself, you know I could have been a lazy loser, and done as little as possible, and ended up here.
What a moron I must be, to have worked so hard my whole life, and ended up in the same position as if I had done nothing, or as little as I could get away with.
It was at that moment when the thought crossed my mind, what are we working for?
Most people would agree that I have been a good citizen.
Served in the Marine Corp when I graduated from High School, was promoted to sergeant in my first enlistment, while in the Marines, I went to college and earned a BS in Geophysics, went to work right out of college, and have pretty much spent the rest of my life working very hard for either small businesses, or large corporations.
Any one reading this would agree that I am not unique in this experience; there are scores of people that have done the same thing.
Most of the people I know, that are like me having worked hard their whole lives, and have remained dedicated to the job.
Dedicated to whatever their profession is, and they work hard to keep up with the new products, the ever advancing technology, and doing their best to make money for their employer, and give good service to their employers customers.
All the while struggling on the home front, struggling to keep all the bills paid, keep their family fed, and give their children a good education so they too can be productive members of society.
So many US citizens these days have seen their dedication and hard work be rewarded with layoffs and pay cuts.
As our corporations work to lower labor costs by off shoring the labor to foreign countries that can provide inexpensive workers.
A little over a year ago, working for IBM, I watched as people I worked with got to train the young IBM India employees that were taking over their jobs, as IBM moved their jobs out of the country.
The kids from India were good kids, just like any other young adult, they had desires to succeed and provide a better life for their families.
The US workers training them were equally good people, taking their replacements to the zoo, the museum, sightseeing in the mountains, and off to Walmart, and the Grocery store, both of which really impressed these young folks from India.
In speaking with my colleagues and friends that had worked to train their replacements, I was told that the held no resentment toward their replacements.
I agreed with them when we talked about how you really cannot blame the workers in another country for wanting a better life, a good job, with benefits, and a retirement plan.
A way to feed their family, provide them with comfort, and education.
I want those things; most of the people I know want those things, so how could I hold it against them for wanting what I want? As the summer of 2009 approached and I was faced with the same task, of assisting AT&T in training my Brazilian replacements.
I really gained a lot of respect for my friends with IBM that had gone through the same process, and I felt a moral obligation to help these people to do a good job for their employer.
I have felt most of my life that I had a moral obligation to do the best I could for my employer.
Problem is, my employers have never felt any sort of moral obligation toward me, or the rest of their work force.
Their only obligation in life is to the profits of the company, and to maintaining the incredible pay of their executives and upper management.
Never once feeling any sort of remorse for the hardships they cause their fellow Americans when they leave them without work.
I have spent over 30 years working in the United States of America, and even before I was old enough to work, I have so often heard from the US Corporations the lament that they are not making enough money, labor costs are too high, insurance too high, building a safe work environment costs too much, and on and on.
Often times I think to myself, you know that line sure has gotten old, do you think you might come up with something a little different? All the while these companies and their officers are complaining about their lack of profit, their executives have seen their incomes grow by exponential rates, and the size, and net income of the companies, grow to incredible levels.
Think about it, 50 years ago how many companies grossed billions and operated in multiple countries, and compare that to today.
The number is bigger than ever, and yet with all this growth, and increased income for the executives, the gripe remains the same.
We're not making "enough" money! The desire to make more money has left me unemployed now for eight months.
The ax that had hung over my head for over two years finally fell, and I was laid off.
Having seen this coming, I had searched for new employment, and had been granted a clearance for my upcoming job, and felt fortunate that I was going to avoid the unemployment line.
The new job fell through, and I ended up unemployed anyway.
Like so many people in my same situation I mounted a massive search for work, hundreds and hundreds of resumes sent out.
As the time without income drew out longer and longer, my already depleted savings and retirement accounts were drained to nothing, my house now four months behind, and my checking account dwindling down to its last five hundred dollars.
I was faced with the fact that everything I had worked for was gone, all my hard work and dedication had resulted in nothing.
In a little less than a year I had been reduced to the same financial situation that I had been in thirty years ago.
Over the years I have met a few folks that are fairly unproductive members of our society, real cheats and losers.
I asked one of them one time why he decided to handle money and work they way he had, and if he thought getting a good job and working hard at it would produce better results for him.
He exploded, went on ranting about how corporate America was a lie, and he wasn't going to be duped into working his butt off his whole life only to get screwed in the end.
He exclaimed that he came in with nothing and he is going out with nothing, and it was easier not to work so hard.
Looking at my life now, I was faced with the reality that he might be right! When I looked at the scene, what has happened to me and so many other good people in our county, I couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the whole scene.
I thought to myself, you know I could have been a lazy loser, and done as little as possible, and ended up here.
What a moron I must be, to have worked so hard my whole life, and ended up in the same position as if I had done nothing, or as little as I could get away with.
It was at that moment when the thought crossed my mind, what are we working for?
