As I was sitting in the dentists chair this morning, getting
a crown finished up, I was sincerely grateful that my
dentist decided to go through 6-10 years of schooling and
residency. I was glad that he made his way through a long
and successful career and had a lot of experience under his
belt before working on my mouth.
I wondered, as he tested my bite and ground off just a tad
more of the crown surface for a perfect fit, what my dentist
was thinking about as he worked. Did he like his work? Would
he rather be somewhere else? Was he day-dreaming about
vacation or hobbies or his family? Was he content, or
malcontent? Would he retire soon?
Then I started to think about gopher. You have to think
about something when people are drilling in your face, so
that you don't have to think about the drilling. I thought
about the perceptions we might have of each other, and I
thought, "people probably think I'm quite against the
structure of our economy." Certainly, I've stated in a few
places that I want to abandon everything and go live in the
deep of the woods in a yurt- more or less, that's what I've
said. If I haven't said it, I've certainly thought it. And
yes, that is somewhat anti-consumerism and anti-social at
the very least.
The thing is, I enjoy many of the services that I have
access to as a direct result of how our economy and society
are structured. I'm very glad that instead of dying from a
terrible and painful infection, I can go do a dentist and
have them work their magic. I'm glad that my dentists office
is clean and safe, and that he continues his education. I'm
glad for technology, both inside and outside of my mouth.
And I realize fully that the dentist and tech manufacturer
aren't going to trade their services and wares for my extra
cucumbers and kale. The monetary devices ensure that they
can get what they need and want in exchange for their work
or product.
If I want to benefit from all that is available in our
economy, I have to be a part of our economy. Some people
call it "playing the game." Heck, I call it that derisively,
because I am like that. I suppose it would be more fair to
say that one has to participate if one wants to benefit.
My dentist wants dollars. How can I get dollars? And how can
I get enough of them to afford a dentist who charges so
much?
I have a "career," if you want to call it that. I'm
self-employed, and have been for a good many years. I make
enough to make some people jealous and other people laugh.
But in the end, I have all of my needs met, and many of my
wants as well. My problem is, I don't really like my career.
So if you read about tfurrows wanting to exit society,
retire early, or live on the fringe, know that my real goals
aren't really those at all. What I really want is to
re-align my career with my interests and passions, so that
I can be a contributor in this world and not just a
functioning and well-behaved piece of the economic or
capitalist machine. What I'd love is to do what I love, and
to pursue things that I feel are more unique to me, and
potentially more beneficial to the world around me than what
I'm doing now. The whole yurt or owned-property or off-grid
part of the deal is really just a means to an end. Even less
than that maybe, it's just dreams.
