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It dawned on me the other day why so many (including myself) find sitting in a little cubicle, shuffling papers, staring at a computer screen, for 8+ hours a day so unsatisfying. It is because humans really aren't meant to do that kind of work. It is unnatural.
Since back in the caveman days, really up until the last century or so, the average man worked outside hunting, farming, maintaining his shelter, etc. It was all work done outdoors and it was all done with his hands. The woman took care of the children and picked berries. That translates well to the stay at home wife who takes care of the children and cooks for her family.
I guess that is why so many people who are in skilled trades where they work with their hands find their jobs satisfying. I can imagine that most of the frustration in that kind of work comes from the low pay or instability, if that is the case, but probably not the job itself for the most part. Although, I could be off the mark as I have not been involved in blue collar, hands on type work. It's just an idea I had.
The life of the caveman has bee described as "nasty, brutish, and short." There was probably a reason for that. I'll take my chances in the cubicle farm. I really don't fancy a life of chasing mastodons for dinner and competing with cave bears for living accommodations.
When it's in the single digits outside, I'm really glad I have an indoor job. And cable TV. And pizza.
It dawned on me the other day why so many (including myself) find sitting in a little cubicle, shuffling papers, staring at a computer screen, for 8+ hours a day so unsatisfying. It is because humans really aren't meant to do that kind of work. It is unnatural.
Since back in the caveman days, really up until the last century or so, the average man worked outside hunting, farming, maintaining his shelter, etc. It was all work done outdoors and it was all done with his hands. The woman took care of the children and picked berries. That translates well to the stay at home wife who takes care of the children and cooks for her family.
I guess that is why so many people who are in skilled trades where they work with their hands find their jobs satisfying. I can imagine that most of the frustration in that kind of work comes from the low pay or instability, if that is the case, but probably not the job itself for the most part. Although, I could be off the mark as I have not been involved in blue collar, hands on type work. It's just an idea I had.
Maybe that kind of work isn't cut out for everyone?
I think people who find this kind of work unsatisfying should find something else. I for one, am grateful for office jobs and if people are very unsatisfied by it, they need to have a life outside of work. Period. We're not cavemen anymore.
LOL we may not be cavemen anymore, but I surmise that deep down inside, despite all the charades put on by us in modernity; we are still as unruly, primal, and uncivilized as as our ancestors were. We are all savage primates vying over scarce resources.
LOL we may not be cavemen anymore, but I surmise that deep down inside, despite all the charades put on by us in modernity; we are still as unruly, primal, and uncivilized as as our ancestors were. We are all savage primates vying over scarce resources.
I believe understand this train of thought that statisticsnerd is having. Another thing to think about with ancient man and the hunter-gatherer types is they did not work 8 hours a day. They just did the minimum they could to survive by hunting for food and then relaxing. Of course, when ancient man settled in areas and became farmers, that became much more labor intensive for most people.
It was in the industrial era when people worked many hours. About a hundred years ago, children worked in factories in the U.S. sometimes up to 12 hours a day and 6 or 7 days a week. And no, our bodies are not used to such mechanized work or sitting in one place for long periods of time. Our mind and bodies are more like the primitive man as we biologically have not been that removed from our ancestors did about one to 2 hundred years ago.
As an aside, I did do manual labor types of jobs when I was younger being a temp and in high school, but I definitely would take an office job over that type of work where it was hard on my feet and having my hands get callouses and dry very often. If I were good at skilled labor and made good money from it, maybe I would think differently, don't know. I think it depends on the person.
It dawned on me the other day why so many (including myself) find sitting in a little cubicle, shuffling papers, staring at a computer screen, for 8+ hours a day so unsatisfying. It is because humans really aren't meant to do that kind of work. It is unnatural.
Since back in the caveman days, really up until the last century or so, the average man worked outside hunting, farming, maintaining his shelter, etc. It was all work done outdoors and it was all done with his hands. The woman took care of the children and picked berries. That translates well to the stay at home wife who takes care of the children and cooks for her family.
I guess that is why so many people who are in skilled trades where they work with their hands find their jobs satisfying. I can imagine that most of the frustration in that kind of work comes from the low pay or instability, if that is the case, but probably not the job itself for the most part. Although, I could be off the mark as I have not been involved in blue collar, hands on type work. It's just an idea I had.
I completely agree, I'll never work in an office/cubicle ever again, I can't do it. It's not just impossible for me, it's torture.
I've done both types of jobs. 12 hour shifts on my feet crawling over machines trying to keep them running in a nasty environment and now my own office.
I enjoyed the physical aspect of the "caveman job" however I didn't enjoy standing on concrete for the entire shift.
Sitting on your buttocks takes it out of you in a different way. Since I went to office work I HAVE to walk five miles after work every day just to feel right.
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