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Most human beings have an emptiness inside that they continually try to and need to fill throughout life.
They will fill the emptiness with whatever they can, most filling it with as many positive things as possible, others falling into the trap of filling it with negative things.
So holding on to that work identity helps to fill whatever hollowness exists inside. It's a very human trait....to feel some emptiness or hollowness inside
I simply can not relate to this emptiness concept. Yes, I do know people who are depressed, who state that they feel 'empty' inside and does not matter what they do (positive or negative things), the hollowness, emptiness remains.
However, my observation is that this inside emptiness is definitely not an universal phenomenon. Myself and many of the people I know well have never experienced it.
So I completely disagree with the implied assertion that people who retain their job/career identity in retirement do so out of their innate need to fill whatever hollowness exists inside. Speaking for myself and my read of the sentiments expressed by posters with similar feeling, we do so because we are proud and happy of our knowledge and our vocation.
All my life, I have a thirst for knowledge, a desire to be active, to learn and do new things but I also always feel fulfilled and contented. My role models are the people who are happy, proactive, who are doers and positive thinkers. They are the one who appear to have reached the 'self-actualization' stage of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. It would be a very strange interpretation that these folks are doing positive things to fill their inner hollowness!!!!!
I had to lookup the lyric for the song that you mentioned. I feel sorry for any women or men who feel that way either in love or just generally in life.
------
I don't wanna be the last man standing
I don't wanna be the lonely one
Picking petals when the party's over
No, it's not any fun
'Cause I'm fragile
And you know this
So hold me
Wrap me in love, fill up my cup
Empty and only your love can fill up my cup
'Cause I'm hollow
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
'Cause I'm hollow
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
I don't wanna be the first one folding
I don't wanna be the joker heart
Tell me, darling, will you understand me?
And not show me your cards?
'Cause I'm paper-thin
And you, you make me whole again
So hold me
Wrap me in love, fill up my cup
Empty and only your love can fill up my cup
'Cause I'm hollow
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
'Cause I'm hollow
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
I confess (yeah), my weakness
Till you pick up the parts that are broken
Pour out your perfection on me now
And hold me
Wrap me in love, fill up my cup
Empty, 'cause only your love can fill up my cup
So hold me
Wrap me in love, fill up my cup
Empty and only your love can fill up my cup
'Cause I'm hollow
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
'Cause I'm hollow
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
'Cause I'm hollow (yeah)
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh (oh yeah)
'Cause I'm hollow (I'm hollow)
Yeah, I'm hollow, oh, oh, oh
Most human beings have an emptiness inside that they continually try to and need to fill throughout life.
They will fill the emptiness with whatever they can, most filling it with as many positive things as possible, others falling into the trap of filling it with negative things.
Having a professional identity as in a career or skills set or expertise is one way to partially or significantly fill that emptiness.
So holding on to that work identity helps to fill whatever hollowness exists inside. It's a very human trait....to feel some emptiness or hollowness inside.
There is a recent song by singer Tori Kelly called 'Hollow' which talks about one form of feeling hollow relating to love, but also relating to life in general.
OK, I don't think I have tried to fill a "hollowness" in my self by identifying as my former job. This doesn't ring true to me at all. I did have an affinity for it though, that has shaped my way of thinking about some things.
I am not sure your generalization holds up, frankly.
Most human beings have an emptiness inside that they continually try to and need to fill throughout life.
They will fill the emptiness with whatever they can, most filling it with as many positive things as possible, others falling into the trap of filling it with negative things.
Having a professional identity as in a career or skills set or expertise is one way to partially or significantly fill that emptiness.
So holding on to that work identity helps to fill whatever hollowness exists inside. It's a very human trait....to feel some emptiness or hollowness inside.
There is a recent song by singer Tori Kelly called 'Hollow' which talks about one form of feeling hollow relating to love, but also relating to life in general.
I don't think that emptiness has anything to do with it. I wore a military uniform for almost 32 years. That was a significant part of my adult life. The fact that I still identify with the military isn't due to an emptiness in my life, it's more about who I was for so long. Now that I'm retired from the military and my cilvilian job I have found new pursuits to fill my day. So in my life, there never was any emptiness, but I do identify with my past as I move into the future.
I simply can not relate to this emptiness concept. Yes, I do know people who are depressed, who state that they feel 'empty' inside and does not matter what they do (positive or negative things), the hollowness, emptiness remains.
Clinical depression (which imo the song lyrics express) is common but is far from the norm..
I have to admit my careers are part of my identity in that they helped shape me into who I am today, for good or for ill. The military and law enforcement certainly had their impacts on me and some of that remains. For the former, like the Marine, I think in terms that I was a soldier, I am a soldier, I will always be a soldier. Add the LE experience and between the two I learned to think on my feet, size-up situations quickly, be observant and make decisions without hesitation.
My final career was in politics and legislation and even now, in my seventh years of retirement, it still interests me as it does my wife who was in the same occupation. Besides, it's how we met and ultimately married so that will always be with me.
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