Barefoot Doctor; What’s the Point of Work?
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Pulitzer Prize winning author Hedrick Smith, author of ‘Who Stole the American Dream?’ recently asked ‘“People are beginning to ask: what’s the point of work?. What’s the point of trying to get ahead when even those who are working hard are falling behind?”
Skrufff asked Barefoot what IS the point? what are the implications?
Barefoot Doctor: “This is indicative of a paradigm shift partly caused by the breakdown and morphing of the ‘system’; partly caused by the stakes being so high and the way to the top of the pile so steep and daunting these days.
Another factor in play is a dawning enlightenment inducing young and old alike to question the hitherto sacrosanct notion that you are what you do and hence the more you achieve the more valid your life is.
People are finally waking up to the fact that dying the richest or most important tenant in the cemetery isn’t the point of the game – that the game is won instead by learning to love each and every moment of being alive regardless.
And though this may come across as a malaise in fact it probably indicates an evolutionary development of consciousness. But let’s examine the backdrop a bit.
Although not strictly accurate to call the USA an empire in the traditional sense of ancient Rome for instance (more strictly speaking it’s the facilitator of a complex of global corporate networks, backed up by a threat of apparently overwhelming military force, and promoted by the Hollywood dream machine) it nonetheless follows the typical traditional rise-and-fall empire graph, just as does any other phenomenon – all forms slowly reach their zeniths then go into relatively rapid decline.
In terms of geopolitical clout, for instance, Putin’s wiped the floor with Obama twice in the last few months, first over Syria, now over Ukraine – and no one in their right mind threatens war with the hardest, most powerful, probably richest man on the planet (we hope).
All the while China patiently steadily build up their military might at an exponential rate ready for whatever series of moves they’re getting ready to make – probably building up to retaking Taiwan.
With the US economy, contrary to all appearances, like all the world’s economies precariously poised on a knife edge, the testosterone fueled generation of young men (and now women), whose predecessors were naturally impelled by the driving under-thrust of empire in session, are instead perhaps wondering what the point of all that is.
They’re perhaps realizing the real value of the journey is not in achieving things but in living the experience moment by moment to the full from the deeper level out, rather than expecting external references like career or achievement to do it for them.
All this said assuming this wasn’t just a subjective view backed up by statistics which we all know can be nursed to suit the agenda, whatever it is.
My hunch is it might partly be that, only because from my own subjective view, on my travels I’m meeting young American after young American who are so on it, so focused, so driven, (probably on so much Adderall too), so talented, and so sophisticated in their approach to whatever they’re doing, whether music, business or whatever, it’s almost scary.
However, we also have to bear in mind talk of the ‘end times’ is much more common in the US and has been for ages, and even if people take no notice, it still goes in and influences people’s pictures.
And if it was time for the whole thing to vanish in a puff of holy smoke, there’d be no point in wasting time or energy trying to achieve things – far wiser to go nuts and party or whatever turns you on – that might be a factor too.
This might also be bolstered by the opposite thrust to the end-times notion – the post-hippy, new age position promoted by guys like me and Daniel Pinchbeck, for example, who suggest the big prize is already attained: simply being alive – and that if you honor that first and foremost in your consciousness at all times, all the lesser prizes of material wealth or status will be occur on their own as a byproduct (with a bit of focus and work).
But my hunch is it’s just a phase that will soon pass to make way for a whole new era of unprecedented dog-eat-doggedness and super-ambitiousness but one that’s dominated by China and Asia in general, instead of the US.”
Questions by Skrufff.
http://www.barefootdoctorglobal.com
