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Is your job wholesome?

In Buddhism, it is said that there is wholesome and unwholesome way of earning a living. Earning a living by killing animals for example is not wholesome and not encouraged. What types of jobs do you suppose is wholesome or unwholesome? Is your job wholesome?
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  • Wisdom23Wisdom23 Veteran
    I work in education, so i think that is pretty wholesome.
    riverflowvinlynBunksNiesje
  • I do clerical work at a hospital in the US. I'm not sure how I'd feel about working for an insurance company however...
  • JimyoJimyo Explorer
    I keep my friends who work on the railway safe by planning their work properly and in the bigger picture, everyone who travels on the track I cover. It's the one thing I focus on when I'm having a bad day.
    lobstercvalueNiesje
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    footiam said:

    In Buddhism, it is said that there is wholesome and unwholesome way of earning a living. Earning a living by killing animals for example is not wholesome and not encouraged. What types of jobs do you suppose is wholesome or unwholesome? Is your job wholesome?

    If I recall correctly, any job that is not unwholesome, is by default wholesome. I think any job that would cause you to break precepts, or cause or support others doing something that would break precepts, even if they haven't taken them and even if they aren't Buddhist, would be unwholesome. :)

  • ericcris10senericcris10sen Veteran
    edited May 2013
    I work with the National Park Service, I think that's somewhat wholesome :) Enjoying nature at its finest. Making sure people come here and have a good time and to get away from the normal rat race of life. Making sure everyone knows to keep nature, nature and to preserve all kinds of life.

    I met the most negative person I've ever seen here lol (except for he-who-should-not-be-named on this site :P ) Further up the highway, the road collapsed causing them to close that portion down for safety reasons. I told him that they're building another road next to it connecting it to the other side so people don't have to take the long detour. He thought they should just get it fixed because it's a 'federal highway'. No matter what I told him, no matter how much it could risk people's lives if they rushed and opened an unsafe highway, he didn't care. Also our National Monument has a Volcano you could hike up that we closed about 30 years ago because the trails were degrading and people can be seriously hurt or killed if they were to fall off the side, not to mention the Volcano has some deep spiritual meanings to the Hopi, Navajo, and other Native Americans who live in the area. But he didn't care either and decided that everyone in this town just gives-up on things.

    Wasn't long that I learned he was from North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. I used to work down there. I now understand WHY he's like that.
    Invincible_summer
  • Invincible_summerInvincible_summer Heavy Metal Dhamma We(s)t coast, Canada Veteran
    edited May 2013
    I just got a job in education, and most of my other work/volunteer experience has been in either education or physical rehabilitation. I believe these would fall under "wholesome."

    Aren't the concepts of "wholesome" and "unwholesome" subject to context though? For example, although being a butcher is considered "unwholesome" in the Buddha's time, what if that's the only job one could get to provide for a sick family member/struggling family?
    lobster
  • Jeffrey said:

    I don't work (yet) because of schizophrenia. Others with my condition can work and I just need to find a place where I can take time off when I am sick. Other things like customer service are hard because I don't process things such as social cues as well or thinking of appropriate social banter what with all of my medicines. That's one reason I like this forum because I have time to read and understand. I am great at typing though maybe not to a professional scale and I have periods of the day when my energy is so low it is painful so it would be hard to be a transcriber with deadlines. I also May 12 received a wood carving set :rockon: :clap: so if I am any good maybe I can sell some carvings though that is a long shot they are probably so much easier to machine in China.

    What would you create? I'd happily be your first customer :D
    John_Spencerlobstercvalue
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    I haven't gotten started, @ericcris10sen. I thought of unique chess pieces and also toys for kids, like little monster figures. I'm not sure how hard it will be to learn. I am wondering in my mind what to do for a first try. Maybe a rocket? Eventually maybe Buddhist carvings like symbols and meditating figure, would be cool. It would be cool to make a gnarled tree.
  • Jeffrey said:

    I haven't gotten started, @ericcris10sen. I thought of unique chess pieces and also toys for kids, like little monster figures. I'm not sure how hard it will be to learn. I am wondering in my mind what to do for a first try. Maybe a rocket? Eventually maybe Buddhist carvings like symbols and meditating figure, would be cool. It would be cool to make a gnarled tree.

    oh I know you haven't started yet because you JUST received it. Oh Buddhist carvings would be great!! I hope you enjoy it!
    Jeffreylobstercvalue
  • robotrobot Veteran
    My job would be considered pretty unwholesome by most Buddhists in the west. Asian Buddhists, not so much.
    It's interesting though, as a commercial fisherman, I am generally treated with respect by people. We seem to be considered salt of the earth types by most folks. You know, braving the elements to bring home our catch. Providing food and jobs and all that. I think most people consider fish to be another resource like trees or minerals.
    Fishing has been good to me overall. The kids got raised successfully.
    And I have had experiences that are all but indescribable to anyone who hasn't been there.
    I'm pretty content with life right now. So I have no complaints with my career choice.
    Still, I look forward to retirement and no more fishing. Hopefully I live for a couple of decades as a harmless human.
    JeffreyKundolobster
  • DaftChrisDaftChris Spiritually conflicted. Not of this world. Veteran
    I'm heading back to work tomorrow as a cashier. I suppose it's wholesome as it doesn't harm anyone, but god does it get boring.
    bookworm
  • John_SpencerJohn_Spencer Veteran
    edited May 2013
    Jeffrey said:

    I also May 12 received a wood carving set :rockon: :clap: so if I am any good maybe I can sell some carvings though that is a long shot they are probably so much easier to machine in China.

    Yeh @ Jeffrey, as per earlier posts by @ericcris10sen- I couldn't think of a more devotional, mindful practice than carving images that are sacred to you.

    Post pictures of your success please!

    And yes, do commissions for people - they can't buy those from a machine shop.

    Kundolobster
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    I'm a stay at home mom, so yeah, I guess my job is wholesome enough, lol. Prior I worked for a technology company who primarily provided support for other global companies, most of those are not wholesome companies. So, it depends how you stretch it. But it allowed my family more financial freedom, my kids got to join sports, we could afford to move to a larger apartment, and so on. Since then, my husband got a job with the state and we moved. As for his job, he provides supervision and knowledge support for tax collectors. So again, probably not the most wholesome as part of the job the department he works in requires them to put leins on people's property and take wages and bank account monies. But, those people also choose to not pay their bills while they have excess money and property to do so and have chosen to ignore all the correspondence which would allow them to easily set up workable payment plans and such. So, while the place my husband works isn't the most wholesome on the planet, and he probably has one of the most hated jobs out there, lol, if people paid their bills they wouldn't be needed.

    @Jeffrey You'd be surprised. People LOVE wood toys and stuff. They are always a huge, huge hit at our local craft fairs. You might, once you get started, consider doing a booth at a craft show or 2, or a farmers market even or a flea market or something. I would totally buy wood carved things of all sorts. I do a little whittling, but I don't have the visual ability to see something in a piece of wood and turn it into something. Unfortunately I wasn't blessed with the artisitic abilities of some of the others in my family.
  • SillyPuttySillyPutty Veteran
    edited May 2013
    EDIT-- I'm going to start a new thread instead of post my question here. It might end up getting off topic now that I think about it.
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    Not particularly....I get paid a lot of money to move people's retirement money from one place to another (they have no choice!) so they can save a few bucks in fees......
  • Earning a living by killing animals for example is not wholesome and not encouraged.
    Hmmm. I know a slaughterman. He's a kind and compassionate man, he spends his holidays working at animal shelters (most recently a chimpanzee rehabilitation place). In a world where people crave the flesh of other animals and where some people who work in slaughter houses can be cruel to the animals, I am happy to know there is at least one slaughterman who has the animal's welfare at the forefront of his mind when he does the deed.
    In a situation of supply and demand where animals will be killed, is it not better that those doing the killing do so with compassion?
    lobster
  • ZaylZayl Veteran
    I work fast food. That's very unwholesome for all involved. I'm contributing to the poor health of our customers (though I do my best to make the food as "good" as possible, this involves omitting salt whenever possible, and draining grease when I can. It's not allowed but I do it) That and the work is strenuous. Since I'm the only guy working there 90% of the time, I do all of the intensive labor. I swear I'm more of a maintenance person now than a fry cook. I lift anything even remotely heavy, I salted/shoveled the entire parking lot almost daily during winter, I mow the grass and trim the bushes now too.

    The entire time I'm getting paid peanuts and gypped out of any possible benefits I could receive by working there, which is not a lot. But now I don't even get those.

    Eh, don't listen to my whining.
    lobster
  • Zayl said:

    I work fast food. That's very unwholesome for all involved. I'm contributing to the poor health of our customers (though I do my best to make the food as "good" as possible, this involves omitting salt whenever possible, and draining grease when I can. It's not allowed but I do it) That and the work is strenuous. Since I'm the only guy working there 90% of the time, I do all of the intensive labor. I swear I'm more of a maintenance person now than a fry cook. I lift anything even remotely heavy, I salted/shoveled the entire parking lot almost daily during winter, I mow the grass and trim the bushes now too.

    The entire time I'm getting paid peanuts and gypped out of any possible benefits I could receive by working there, which is not a lot. But now I don't even get those.

    Eh, don't listen to my whining.

    Spongebob is a fry cook, and if Spongebob is unwholesome there is something deeply and disturbingly wrong with the world.
    Invincible_summerVastmindbookworm
  • footiamfootiam Veteran
    Wisdom23 said:

    I work in education, so i think that is pretty wholesome.

    It probably is wholesome if one is not teaching the kids to handle guns.
  • NeleNele Veteran
    I work slicing and dicing cancer data, in the service of a company that makes software for oncologists. If I think about the character of the information, it is ... grim. Is it helping people? Well, maybe indirectly in the sense of providing analyses to practitioners. But the company mainly sells the data to Big Pharma reps who are trolling for customers (clinics and docs). --At best, I'd say my job is neutral on the wholesomeness scale. But I work at home so it allows a lot of freedom and flexibility to do wholesome things :-)
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    footiam said:

    In Buddhism, it is said that there is wholesome and unwholesome way of earning a living. Earning a living by killing animals for example is not wholesome and not encouraged. What types of jobs do you suppose is wholesome or unwholesome? Is your job wholesome?

    As a partially cured dope fiend I have to feed my habit by fur trapping and human trafficking..sometimes I worry that this might be unwholesome...so I am going vegan.
    I reckon that balances things out.
  • Lee82Lee82 Veteran
    It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realisation in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings jobs and homes to men. Then it elevates the standards of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer’s high privilege.

    The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the graves like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or flame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny that he did it. If his works do not work, he is damned. That is the phantasmagoria that haunts his nights and dogs his days. He comes from the job at the end of the day resolved to calculate it again. He wakes in the night in a cold sweat and puts something on paper that looks silly in the morning. All day he shivers at the thought of the bugs that will inevitably appear to jolt its smooth consummation.

    On the other hand, unlike the doctor his is not a life among the weak. Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his purpose. Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread. To the engineer falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort and hope. No doubt as years go by people forget which engineer did it, even if they ever knew. Or some politician puts his name on it. Or they credit it to some promoter who used other people’s money with which to finance it. But the engineer looks back at the unending stream of goodness which flows from his success with satisfaction that few professions may know. And the verdict of his fellow professionals is all the accolade he wants.


    Herbert Hoover (31st president of the USA 1929-1933)
  • Without duality, what is wholesome?
    Without perception what is not not wholesome?
    Without fixed positions
    without 'good' or 'bad'
    Without without
    just be
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    He comes from the job at the end of the day resolved to calculate it again. He wakes in the night in a cold sweat and puts something on paper that looks silly in the morning. All day he shivers at the thought of the bugs that will inevitably appear to jolt its smooth consummation.
    Same in chemistry research. Cold sweats at night if your research isn't succeeding.
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    I service & repair nat gas heating systems.
    It really comes down to whether I am wholesome or not.
    riverflowlobsterInvincible_summercvalue
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited June 2013
    Lee82 said:

    It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realisation in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings jobs and homes to men. Then it elevates the standards of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer’s high privilege.

    The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the graves like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or flame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny that he did it. If his works do not work, he is damned. That is the phantasmagoria that haunts his nights and dogs his days. He comes from the job at the end of the day resolved to calculate it again. He wakes in the night in a cold sweat and puts something on paper that looks silly in the morning. All day he shivers at the thought of the bugs that will inevitably appear to jolt its smooth consummation.

    On the other hand, unlike the doctor his is not a life among the weak. Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his purpose. Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread. To the engineer falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort and hope. No doubt as years go by people forget which engineer did it, even if they ever knew. Or some politician puts his name on it. Or they credit it to some promoter who used other people’s money with which to finance it. But the engineer looks back at the unending stream of goodness which flows from his success with satisfaction that few professions may know. And the verdict of his fellow professionals is all the accolade he wants.


    Herbert Hoover (31st president of the USA 1929-1933)

    I had for many years a tinge of regret about not becoming an engineer...
    But in at least one way Hoover was dead wrong. Life for a doctor is among some of the strongest people you will ever meet, and they are a privilege to know.
  • footiamfootiam Veteran
    riverflow said:

    I do clerical work at a hospital in the US. I'm not sure how I'd feel about working for an insurance company however...

    I am not sure too. In Buddha's time, they probably don't have an insurance company.
  • Well I've been working part time (really less if that's a thing lol) at a Pep Boys. As some of you know, they're an automotive style chain store. My particular location has a mechanic shop in it too. Our employees fix cars, which can be unwholesome I suppose depending on who you ask, due to the pollution and such. But some of the emissions do feed plants, right?

    Either way, I work at the parts counter so I just give people what they need and help them find stuff around the store. I'd say that's good on my part. Recently picked up a job delivering Chinese food. I like the money more, I get free food when I'm working and get to deliver their food which makes everyone happy. I'd say that's as wholesome as that job can be.
    riverflow
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    I am not paid to read this
    http://paidtoexist.com/the-zero-hour-workweek/

    Any good? Send bill for reading to usual address . . .
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    edited June 2013

    I don't think a job can, of itself, be wholesome.

    You could be an abusive, neglectful nurse.

    It depends how you do your job not just what job you do.

    I have seen many a nurse as you describe. My profession is nursing and while the job is geared toward helping people the focus and motivation of the nurse is of paramount importance. It's filled with people and as such it is rife with ego trips, one-upmanship, improper speech, and sometimes a profound lack of ethical and moral compasses, in short samsara. I am sure it is much the same as virtually every other profession, at least nursing's intent is to help, not harm. There are certain things I will not engage in, I really try to watch my speech when it comes to my peers as well as patients. People want to talk badly about certain types of patient's we see, I won't do it. Another thing I will not engage in is taking down and restraining individuals, this happens frequently in the ER. This stance has not won me friends either. It's seems that these are behaviors people want and almost expect one to go along with. It's a thin line but in the end my ethics have so far won out.
    All the best,
    Todd
    riverflowcvalue
  • @Theswingisyellow - good on you!!

    I worked in the ER (in registration) for quite a few years and was shocked by what I saw too. Its a crazy, stressful job, and I'm afraid a lot of ER staff simply end up taking it out on the patient.

    Sure, every ER has its so-called "frequent flyers" but why can't we just say "forgive then for they know not what they are doing"?

    I remember one night some years ago there was a young woman who came to the ER and said she had been raped. I don't know what happened between her and the nursing staff, but she ended up in the back hallway and she wanted to leave-- she was visibly upset. The nurses were all ganging up on her, and maybe even with good intentions, they were trying to get her to stay-- but they were talking down at her, scolding her. Their words may have said "stay" but their actions were clearly saying "don't bother us."

    And then the most beautiful thing happened: the rad tech opened up the other hallway door, stood there, didn't say a word, just opened up her arms to her and the patient just walked over to her. No shouting was necessary. It was this beautiful, wordless compassion-- it didn't last more than a few seconds. The rad tech slowly took the patient back to her room.

    The ER nurses wrote up the rad tech afterwards, they were so angry at her!
    LincNeleTheswingisyellowcvalue
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    Yes my job is wholesome! And the reason why is because I don't have to do anything unwholesome! :)
  • Jains seek out work which is in accordance with 'ahimsa', not harming, so some I know ended up in banking or jewellery businesses. Wealth enables them to do even more good. Bankers in the West seem to be rather less wholesome. I am retired, but I'd consider what I did as wholesome - recruiting students for colleges and universities, some lecturing and a little teaching which involved student exchanges with India etc. I doubt that many jobs are free from unwholesome links, though - for example one college I worked for trained managers and had students from a local meat processing plant. Did that contribute to that slaughterhouse being more 'efficient' and there being even more slaughter? Yes.
    riverflow
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran

    I don't think a job can, of itself, be wholesome.

    You could be an abusive, neglectful nurse.

    It depends how you do your job not just what job you do.

    I have seen many a nurse as you describe. My profession is nursing and while the job is geared toward helping people the focus and motivation of the nurse is of paramount importance. It's filled with people and as such it is rife with ego trips, one-upmanship, improper speech, and sometimes a profound lack of ethical and moral compasses, in short samsara. I am sure it is much the same as virtually every other profession, at least nursing's intent is to help, not harm. There are certain things I will not engage in, I really try to watch my speech when it comes to my peers as well as patients. People want to talk badly about certain types of patient's we see, I won't do it. Another thing I will not engage in is taking down and restraining individuals, this happens frequently in the ER. This stance has not won me friends either. It's seems that these are behaviors people want and almost expect one to go along with. It's a thin line but in the end my ethics have so far won out.
    All the best,
    Todd
    Having just had major surgery, I had the full spectrum of nurses from one who would have outshined Florence Nightingale, to several who did a very good and thorough job, to one who kept telling me I had to pee before midnight (which the surgeon later said was nonsense) but who also couldn't bring me water for 2 hours (which makes it kinda hard to pee). So there's an example of a profession where the vast majority (at least at this hospital) are doing their jobs wholesomely, and one who is being "neglectful".
  • SillyPuttySillyPutty Veteran
    edited June 2013
    There are some jobs that are obviously harming sentient beings and in no way helping them. I don't care if I was going to die of starvation, but there's no way I would, let's say, work at a slaughterhouse. Just... no. And if my family depended on me to go work there and they were starving and that was the last job available, I'd probably just let them chop me up and eat me. No offense meant to anyone who may work in a slaughterhouse reading this, but it's just not something I could ever bring myself to do (or even a job that serves non-vegetarian food... that's how far I take it).

    Then there are also jobs that I *thought* were great and "wholesome." Jobs that I went into bright eyed and bushy tailed, hoping that I would be able to help out the world out in my own little way. However, many of *the people/big wigs* working the job (rather the job itself) ended up turning professions that could be seen as "wholesome" into something extremely political and self-serving.

    For example, I used to do hospice volunteer work, worked with children with autism, worked with adults with mental/physical disabilities, taught grade school, and did casework. All examples of professions that are supposed to be helpful and seen as "wholesome", right? Let me tell you that in every single one of those instances, it was extremely hard to do what *really* needed to be done for the clients. The politics, scams, hidden agendas, and pure selfishness I encountered was... utterly depressing, to say the least. I used to joke that I kept being put into those positions to right the wrongs going on, because the amount of abuse and incompetence that I would witness was staggering. Maybe it was just my karma to get these ironic jobs, but it really caused me to lose my faith in humanity a bit. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I dunno. Perhaps it's just the area of the world I live? (SIDE NOTE: Actually, my therapist said yesterday that I really don't fit into the east coast of the United States. In her own words (which were words I've said myself before many times), she stated that the east coast people tend to be known more for being "selfish" and "cut throat" in the working world. I tend to agree-- no offense to the east coasters here. Not saying everyone is like that, but in the major cities? It's kinda true, really. And I've lived here all of my life, so I've been observing for quite some time now. But there is a definite difference here compared to, let's say, the west coast. But I digress... different topic for a different day.)

    But anyway, the point I was trying to make was, all of the work that I thought that was so wholesome and wonderful, actually was quite corrupt due to the people who were running the show. It's almost like, if you work in a social service-related field in certain parts of the United States nowadays, you are no longer serving the client, but instead fulfilling an agenda. People come last. Money and productivity comes first. Everything is busy busy busy, rush rush rush, get the work done and push the client to the side because they don't matter and you have schedule to keep. Lie, steal, sabotage, enable-- do whatever you have to do to make sure it looks like you did your job and do anything to keep the client quiet and keep the institution from getting sued. The wholesome appeal of the job is a facade and leaves most individuals who try to make a difference feeling defeated and disillusioned. Those who stay for the long run usually end up bitter and give in to the "culture" of money and denial. They convince themselves "that's just how it is." And thus the cycle of ignorance and "it's not my problem" attitude continues.

    Anyway, that's my mini-"is your job wholesome" rant. I've yet to find a truly fulfilling "wholesome" job or non-aggressive, manipulative, miserable co-workers. (Okay, some were great, I shouldn't say all... but you get the idea.) As a matter of fact, yesterday my therapist recommended that I join the Peace Corps, but even with that I'm worried I'll find the same "illusion" of help and lots of people who are standing around doing nothing while nothing gets done. It's just so depressing. What's the point of doing a job if you really aren't doing the job you were hired to do, but instead just doing the bare bones basics in order to pass someone off to the next agency, and thus the never-ending cycle of "no one is really helping you" continues? It's just so sad.

    P.S. I never claimed to be an optimist. Actually, I used to be very optimistic, like most of us are, when I was younger just starting out in the working world. Now I've become a realist/borderline-pessimist. But I'm trying to get back into that optimistic state. So take this rant with a grain of salt. It really is just my *current* personal perception of how certain things are going on in the world today and nothing else.
    riverflowlobsterbookworm
  • I work as customer support for a computer games company, though I've also worked as a swimming teacher.

    I liked both jobs, as both allow me to help others enjoy something that I enjoy as well.
    Both have stressful times and stressful encounters..

    But.. just starting on my journey with Buddhism myself, I'm finding that it's helping ease the stress.
    anataman
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    vinlyn said:

    I don't think a job can, of itself, be wholesome.

    You could be an abusive, neglectful nurse.

    It depends how you do your job not just what job you do.

    I have seen many a nurse as you describe. My profession is nursing and while the job is geared toward helping people the focus and motivation of the nurse is of paramount importance. It's filled with people and as such it is rife with ego trips, one-upmanship, improper speech, and sometimes a profound lack of ethical and moral compasses, in short samsara. I am sure it is much the same as virtually every other profession, at least nursing's intent is to help, not harm. There are certain things I will not engage in, I really try to watch my speech when it comes to my peers as well as patients. People want to talk badly about certain types of patient's we see, I won't do it. Another thing I will not engage in is taking down and restraining individuals, this happens frequently in the ER. This stance has not won me friends either. It's seems that these are behaviors people want and almost expect one to go along with. It's a thin line but in the end my ethics have so far won out.
    All the best,
    Todd
    Having just had major surgery, I had the full spectrum of nurses from one who would have outshined Florence Nightingale, to several who did a very good and thorough job, to one who kept telling me I had to pee before midnight (which the surgeon later said was nonsense) but who also couldn't bring me water for 2 hours (which makes it kinda hard to pee). So there's an example of a profession where the vast majority (at least at this hospital) are doing their jobs wholesomely, and one who is being "neglectful".
    @Vinlyn,
    Up on "the floors", not ER, can be a whole different ballgame and one I would expect where care and time taken are done much better than in the ER. The ER deals with a lot of substance/alcohol abuse, the police and violent behavior. This makes many a nurse there jaded. I don't want to leave the impression that my ER is filled with sadistic nurses and that I am some shining example of goodness, but my stances against fighting and restraining individuals has had me speaking with my director. This practice is quite common and expected. It's something I disdain.
    riverflow
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran



    Up on "the floors", not ER, can be a whole different ballgame and one I would expect where care and time taken are done much better than in the ER. The ER deals with a lot of substance/alcohol abuse, the police and violent behavior. This makes many a nurse there jaded. I don't want to leave the impression that my ER is filled with sadistic nurses and that I am some shining example of goodness, but my stances against fighting and restraining individuals has had me speaking with my director. This practice is quite common and expected. It's something I disdain.

    I imagine you folks get just as many nutty patients as our school got nutty parents!

    riverflowSillyPutty
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    @Vinlyn I could imagine that those experiences are somewhat similar. Like you, you deal with the child and everyone attached to that child for me it's a patient, and everyone attached to that patient- and whatever neurosis they bring to the table.
  • SillyPuttySillyPutty Veteran
    edited June 2013
    vinlyn said:


    I imagine you folks get just as many nutty patients as our school got nutty parents!

    I remember I once had a parent subtly scold me for not fawning over her child's spelling homework writing assignment. I guess the "Great Job! A+ (smiley face)" comment I wrote in his notebook wasn't enough for him or her. It was that exact moment that I realized I was no longer a teacher, but rather a glorified babysitter who gives everyone trophies for simply existing.

    Parents are always the worst to deal with. If it wasn't for nutty parents, I would have stayed working with children. Nothing worse than dealing with a parent who doesn't care about their child, or worse, an overbearing/overprotective parent that (*cough*) "cares" too much and destroys the child's chance at becoming a responsible and productive member of society.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    I don't know whether my job is wholesome. I only know I try to be wholesome while I do my job.
    Lucy_Begoodcvalue
  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    "Do, or do not. There is no try. " ~ Yoda
    Chaz
  • @Jeffrey, blessings…schizophrenia can certainly be challenging. I have learned a lot of things from folks with mental illness. Everybody has their gifts, intelligence and talents…sometimes it takes a bit of time to discover it.

    Is my job wholesome? I don’t know even after 30 years but most the time it’s fun. My work is in mental health a lot of it is in the ER doing involuntary mental health evaluations. The mental health system, the insurance system, the pharmaceuticals and not infrequently the staff….SUCKS and mostly unwholesome. Wholesome what is that? A lot of what I do, how I interact with people is certainly questionable (to some…I have been called all kinds of derogatory names and descriptions by other health care professionals). Over the years I developed some moral or ethical compass points which might be construed as wholesome, those being integrity, compassion and gracefulness. Integrity being, am I willing to sign my name, perhaps get sued, does it have professional merit…is it something I am willing to be known for. Compassion being, if I were the other person, is this how I would want to be treated (if I were in my right mind). And gracefulness, having the mindfulness and the patience to allow the situation to unfold without my ego trying to control or constrain the situation. There are many times where I am restraining a person, encouraging high-powered drugs to will change how a person thinks and feel and are taking away their civil liberties. However my reasoning is that the person is unable to do this for themselves. And sometimes it’s just a matter to give that person another day to live and hopefully something else will happen other than death. I have had several people die soon after an evaluation. I do realize that people have the choice to kill themselves and that I am not Superman nor could be with them 24/7 to prevent this.

    In this work, I try to be a humble and have been amazed at the things I’ve learned from “crazy people.” Often these situations seem to be an exercise of meditation, to be a reflection/mirror of myself or I’m sitting with a master who is burning off karma to which it is a privilege to serve.
    JeffreySillyPuttyLucy_Begoodcvalue
  • footiamfootiam Veteran
    riverflow said:

    I do clerical work at a hospital in the US. I'm not sure how I'd feel about working for an insurance company however...

    >
    Why would working for an insurance company be unwholesome, I wonder...
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