- Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. -
This is a truly inspired verse.
Apologies for repeating this again, but I think you are supposed to see verses 4, 5, and 6 as all having a conversation together.
Verse 4 states that working too hard is done because we are jealous of what our neighbors have.
Verse 5 says it’s foolish to laze around because you must eat at some point.
What is verse 6 trying to say?
Remember how the fool folds his hands? That means he can do nothing with them. They rest crossed or in front of him performing no task.
Solomon carries the metaphor forward in this verse. If we are not to fold our hands, then shouldn’t we engage both of them in our toil, striving to work as hard as humanly possible?
No. It’s better to have one handful of quietness.
I find the idea strange. Working hard is so ingrained into American culture that I know I feel guilty for not responding to a client’s text practically immediately.
Taking five minutes? Well, that makes me feel completely unprofessional.
This leads to a strange world, one where we can no longer completely leave our work behind. This is more true for soft careers like service industries.
If my cell phone stops working on a Saturday, I’d better have the ability to complain to someone about it in email.
What am I saying? That at your work you should find the opportunity to rest?
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it’s ping-pong at work.
At AT&T, our management brought in all kinds of tabletop games to increase our morale. Foosball, ping-pong, pool, puzzles, and even Super Smash Brothers, though that last one was performed by some “aspiring” interns.
What actually happened? The individuals that had time for these activities weren’t getting anything done during the day, and everyone knew it.
When downsizing came, these people were the first to go. All the while, these amenities built resentment among those who were performing.
Shouldn’t they be the ones enjoying them since they were doing most of the work?
We’ve talked in circles. How can we meet the demands of career in a connected world and how can we relax while at work?
Here’s the deal. Most people don’t have careers, they have jobs. That’s something I got from Dr. Jordan Peterson.
What does that mean? A job is something you choose to do because you have to survive and provide for a family, if your blessed enough to have one.
Careers are jobs which are so rewarding to those engaged within them that they provide meaning in addition to financial rewards.
If you have a job, you have to find time for rest in your life. It is not going to fulfill everything you need, obviously, so make especially sure it doesn’t kill you.
If you have a career, you have to find time for rest in your life. Being obsessed with a single goal will lead to neglect in others. If you don’t find time to step back, meaning will consume you.
So, find quietness, and no I don’t mean find time to meditate.
You are limited, and limited beings need rest.
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