My Father’s Ethics: A guide to fulfillment in a wage labor economy

I remember very vividly sitting in a class titled African American Diaspora wondering how to escape the rat race of capitalism and consumerism. The intersection of the Protestant Work-Ethic, the American Dream, and Consumer Debt seemed overwhelming in its sound, inescapable structure. As a college student about to graduate, it was startling to realize my whole concept of a successful life was actually built upon the abuse of a wage labor system that was successful only if it limited the number of people who rose to the top. This didn’t necessarily lead me to Communism, but it did make me wonder about why we work, and why we need to work so hard, if it only creates a cycle of unhappiness and stress.

As one could probably guess, that thought process ended abruptly when I graduated and decided not to go to graduate school immediately, but to work for a few years. All I really thought about was making enough money to live, which thankfully, after just getting out of college didn’t have to be very much. I worked for a non-profit for almost no money and then went back to graduate school. Life, however, threw a few curve balls and in my second quarter I had to drop out. Now I am back to working full time, but with a full salary to match the amount of work I do.

However, working full-time has it’s price. Rising gas prices, the cost of cable and Internet, and then the college loans and unexpected bills add up to suck any extras out of my pay check. Added to that is the frustration over co-workers. Seeing people come in late, take extra days off, and having to cover other people’s work loads just so they can twiddle their thumbs is frustrating. I ask myself the age old question: why do they get paid the same, if not more, than I, when I do more work than them? Thankfully, Father’s Day was this weekend.

Talking to my dad this weekend was like calling God. He always has something to say that I can learn and benefit from. This time, however, as I sat on my couch complaining about work, the advice he gave me was anything but revolutionary. He did not advocate for “telling” on my useless co-worker by reporting the behavior to my boss. He did not urge me to challenge the system by being open and honest and confrontational. Instead, he told me to work the way I know how to work, which is with integrity. He urged me to do the best job that I can do, but to also take pride in it. To recognize that I am doing the best I can, and to continue to derive some sort of personal happiness from my own work ethic.

However, he also told me to bide my time. To wait and have faith that I would, one day, get the opportunity to be validated. If not by my bosses, then by an opportunity to change the structure, to set the rules and standards, and to reward true merit. While my career goals aren’t necessarily to be the “boss,” I do pride myself on having my peers recognize my work. And for now, it is enough to keep me happy and content at my job.

Now, to some, my dad’s advice may seem counter to my initial thoughts in college. It is exactly my dad’s way of thinking that feeds into and supports our capitalistic economic system. Yet, what I value about my dad’s advice is precisely that: it is a way of being happy within a system I cannot change. Sure I could be a revolutionary and advocate for change. In many ways, I think I still am, as I firmly believe in human rights, fair trade, and social services. At the same time, I need to be happy now, in the current unfair way our world is organized.

What my dad has told me, over and over again, is that I need to be happy within myself and not let other people or events bother me so much. This is especially true of work; the only way I can achieve a life of fulfillment and happiness is if my standards are internal. If I have goals that I can control and work towards and ultimately fulfill. If I look to the world to satisfy me, or create a system in which I can prosper or feel nurtured in, I would be setting myself up for disappointment.