Members LordBTY Posted May 18, 2012 Members Share Posted May 18, 2012 How do you feel about it?What does it mean to work hard? Are people 'punished for working hard' as though the relationship between fortune and work is linear?How 'deserving' is someone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 18, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2012 Hard work? I love the way Gregory Peck played Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. He was the area's most prominent lawyer, and currently trying a high publicity case, racially charged and... he had no issue taking iced tea on the porch with Scout and Jem. I work a lot of hours because I love what I do. Then I stop and have an iced tea. Hard work? Nice work, if you can get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beck Posted May 18, 2012 Members Share Posted May 18, 2012 Good questions and thoughts here. I prefer to work smart. Among the many other manifestations of my creative nature besides music is that I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members coyote-1 Posted May 18, 2012 Members Share Posted May 18, 2012 In the domestic sphere: I make far less mess than someone I live with. That person claims to "work harder" at cleaning than I.... but I work at it all the time, while that person ignores it in daily moments but makes "a big effort" to clean up their mess later. Who is working harder? In the professional sphere: I get in early and do my job and leave on time. A coworker comes in later, but is seen "working late" every day. That person has a big backlog of assignments, so every time a new job needs to be done he is "too busy" with what he already has on his plate. I, having gotten in early and gotten my work done, have time to devote to (and complete) the new project. Who is working harder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 18, 2012 Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2012 In the domestic sphere: I make far less mess than someone I live with. That person claims to "work harder" at cleaning than I.... but I work at it all the time, while that person ignores it in daily moments but makes "a big effort" to clean up their mess later. Who is working harder?In the professional sphere: I get in early and do my job and leave on time. A coworker comes in later, but is seen "working late" every day. That person has a big backlog of assignments, so every time a new job needs to be done he is "too busy" with what he already has on his plate. I, having gotten in early and gotten my work done, have time to devote to (and complete) the new project. Who is working harder? ^^^ The "based on merit" system is extremely vulnerable to PR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted May 18, 2012 Members Share Posted May 18, 2012 Working is a sin. Possibly the biggest sin of all sins. I work average 18 hours every day including Sundays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LordBTY Posted May 18, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 18, 2012 It's a pretty important thing that doesn't get thought about enough. The idea of 'hard work' influences people's domestic, professional and political life pretty significantly but doesn't seem to have a solid, coherent definition. I work in a call centre - I tire out my voice and take abuse on the phone, enduring rather extreme levels of monotony. I'm positive about it but I don't feel I can really tell people that. If I let people know that I don't see my job as 'hard work' they'd use it against me. Music wise, although I'm definitely pushing myself, I'm not convinced I'm 'working hard'... because I enjoy it so much. I dedicate almost all of my free time to doing something musical... whether I want to at the time or not. Then there are a few people who claim the taxman 'punishes people for working hard' or the government doesn't 'understand the hard work of individuals.' It doesn't really mean much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members veracohr Posted May 18, 2012 Members Share Posted May 18, 2012 I always think of it like this: for most people, life is hard, and they want to have a feeling that they're going through that for a good reason. It doesn't matter how one person's life compares to another in the realm of struggle, hardship, etc., what matters is that we like fun and dislike work, and we feel we should be compensated for the work we have to do. When we feel undercompensated, we get upset and say things like "I work harder than everybody else" because it's the first thing that comes to mind for why we think our lives should be better. There's definitely a widespread mental correlation between work and success. We've been told for who knows how long that work and perseverance leads to success. Sure, we all know the success stories go against that idea, but it's so ingrained in our societal mind that we just need to work hard and all becomes rainbows and puppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Y'know, I think you were kind of misunderstood during your debut here, but I appreciate the thought-provoking thread topics. Anyway...I work really hard, but it's for people who generally appreciate the work I put into what I do. The reward for my work that allows me to keep doing it is my paycheck. The reward for my work that makes me want to keep doing it is the appreciation of my peers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny-Boy Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Unless hard work is productive, it's meaningless. I could go out in my yard today and dig a 6' deep hole. Now that's hard work. But I would have accomplished nothing - non-productive. I think the term "hard work" is generally associated with physical labor, not so much brain work. Reminds me of an "All In the Family" episode where Michael (the meathead), said he had a hard day. Then Archie replied, "what'd you do, break a pencil today at the library" (sarcasm). Brain work just doesn't get the respect in the "hard work" realm as physical labor. Then again, I don't know if this has anything to do with the original post. John:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Some folks are born to do the hard work and the military jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sillypeoples Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Well it leads to a discussion in 'work ethic'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Unless hard work is productive, it's meaningless. I think that's why working smart, as Beck mentioned, is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Some folks are born to do the hard work and the military jobs. Awesome classist sort of post, Rudangelo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Awesome classist sort of post, Rudangelo. Not classist, also not Klassik, but the good old rules at work since thousands of years. See also Roman history the status of slaves, call center and military personell in antique times. You can also read the US history, it's based on the same principles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LordBTY Posted May 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 I heard some studies show that very basic monkeys have a sense of 'fairness' and the whole thing probably serves as some sort of evolutionary advantage. I'm sure the sense of one person 'deserving' something because they 'work hard' is ingrained into us. That said, any sense of 'fairness' that we have can be compromised with ideas such as royalty, bigotry, classism etc. My local art gallery has something on this atm actually. They commented how the idea of productivity has been emphasized throughout history - primarily by those in charge. The idea of 'hard work', in a social sense, appears to mostly be something fed to the lower classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Wealth is based on education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LordBTY Posted May 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 Wealth is based on education. http://www.national-lottery.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted May 19, 2012 Members Share Posted May 19, 2012 http://www.national-lottery.co.uk Wager all your cash on Nr. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Raymar Posted May 20, 2012 Members Share Posted May 20, 2012 You could be a hermit living in a forest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted May 20, 2012 Members Share Posted May 20, 2012 Musically speaking, the harder I work the luckier I get. I work till i drop everyday and I don't regret it. If I can just apply this to the gym for an hour a day, I'll be golden! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Temple of Light Posted May 20, 2012 Members Share Posted May 20, 2012 Work quantifies to results. Do the work, expect the results. Reward will follow. I'ts an inside job.I have been working smart for decades now, Every job leads to a paycheck, when I don'thave a job, I'm still working things out, inside and out. I prefer to play hard.Work is the vehicle for service to others and ultimately self.Love your work, or do something else.Help others to succeed, and you will be a success.Money has nothing to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beatpoet Posted May 20, 2012 Members Share Posted May 20, 2012 Persistence is just as important as working hard. They always tell you to be about being "politely persistent", but how about persistently working hard too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister natural Posted May 20, 2012 Members Share Posted May 20, 2012 dunno but : in the US, society puts a lot of value on being perceived as "a hard worker". OP suggests perhaps too much value . . . My old accountant said that everyday, you can choose to work harder or to work smarter. In my job as as general manager of a nice restaurant, I use planning as a tool to work smarter(& fewer hours) but, I can tell you that every Friday & Sat night at ~7pm, I have no choice but to put my shoulder into it & work really f*%#ing hard. If I didn't do that ; I would not be leading by example & soon unemployed The other thought I have, perhaps closer to the OP's intent is that no one lays on their death-bed & says. "If only I had worked harder - if only I had worked more" We work to live our lives, should not - live to work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A. Einstein Posted May 20, 2012 Members Share Posted May 20, 2012 Musically speaking, as dumber I produce the songs, as more money it rains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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