An Absolutely Honorable Choice
June 28, 2006 | People & Society
But I will say it here, loud and proud. I work full-time for a living and I will continue working full-time for a living. I will work full-time for a living if I have children. I will work full-time for a living if my husband gets a $500,000 a year job. I will work full-time for a living if I win the lottery. On my death bed, I will probably wish that I spent more time at the office. And I think that's an absolutely honorable choice that I, as a woman, have no need to apologize for.
Moved and seconded.
Comments
I'll say it here, quietly and with no great pride, that if I had an honorable way out of working full time for a living, I'd take it. There's living. There's working "full time". To choose it, trumpet it, as a fixed point in one's life seems a curious choice to this planet-dweller.
Posted by: Doug at June 29, 2006 09:54 AM
I think her orientation is that she feels an obligation to use all of her talents to their 'best and highest value' (my phrase). And she's connected with her work so that's her venue. For you, your art might be the best use - I don't imagine you suddenly wealthy sitting around eating bon bon's!
Posted by: Michael J. at June 29, 2006 10:17 AM
The term "for a living" argues against this reading, I think, but maybe hers is an idiosyncratic usage of the term that was supported in its original context.
Most people would interpret it as "in support of living" rather than "as a mode of living", I believe. Sure, if someone wants to declare that they undertake no responsibilities that conflict with their chosen mode of living, that at least is a sensible statement. To fix a means rather than an end was what seemed odd to me.
Posted by: Doug at June 29, 2006 11:15 AM
Sorry I mentioned anything. I just now read the writing in its original context and I see she was writing in a reactive mode. It was not appropriate for me to react to her reaction out of context, simply juxtaposing my preoccupations against my imaginings of hers.
I suppose I was responding to your moving and seconding as though it were in itself a manifesto. I'm not sure I get blogging.
Posted by: Doug at June 29, 2006 02:25 PM
Right, you can't trust me to pull a quote that represents the whole article. I'm pulling something that speaks to me, and it might be tangential or even unrelated to the original writer's point.
This kind of narrative selection bias (™2006MJN) would be unacceptable in journalism, but rocks the blog world as a new form of participation and creation.
Posted by: Michael J. at June 29, 2006 07:39 PM
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