Real Work
A psychologist wrote that our "real work"
is to deal with our personal problems
through therapy, religion, mediation, and/or meditation
as appropriate to the individual's need, and stage of life.
Many personal problems are inherited from childhood
and stored at unconscious levels of memory
masked by our busy-ness but still distorting our efforts and results.
Our real work is to address the problem.
Still, the real work of most lives is sweaty
labors that entail courage, fortitude, and patience,
in focus to transcend personal problems for pay
to achieve the needed results.
For both intellectual and manual labor
Thich Nhat Hahn's " mindful aimlessness" implies
that mindful response, through compassion for an observed problem,
is right action.
The psychologist might say that the real work is to maintain mindfulness
in which our ordinary appreciation enhances attention and awareness
and we address problems with creative and beneficial work
through our natural and compassionate responses.
Back to Right Livelihood
Basic Buddhist guidelines are listed in my Buddhism in a Nutshell
Back to Preface
Back to Mind and Meditation