On Joblessness & Duty Phone Calls

I've made a few "good faith/duty" phone calls the last few days. You know the kind: the obligatory phone call to wish someone well/check in that you make out of a sense of propriety, decorum, and regard for people's feelings. They're not meant to be serious calls, just to touch base and let people know they are not forgotten, etc.

In these recent calls, people have felt compelled to bring up the unhappy subject of my lack of employment. Despite my best efforts at diversion, the conversations persist. Once again proving that no good deed goes unpunished.

But here's a thought: we live in a world of artificial supply and demand. My jobs have never been vital, they have always been constructs to fulfill inflated demands.

There is no real need for me.

Despite the fact that I'm a hard worker and willing to do just about any job, no job currently exists that requires fulfilling. All the artificially created jobs are foundering and reducing in number. Because I never did anything integral to society in the first place, my type of job is the first to go.

Furthermore, all the vital jobs are filled--maybe this is a problem our society is just beginning to face. In light of financial troubles, unnecessary jobs disappear, leaving the work force overpopulated with marginally skilled candidates. Perhaps it's unrealistic to expect to make a living in one location. Perhaps the future involves itinerant careers, following the work wherever it may lead.

Maybe I'm supposed to get on a boat, and go live somewhere that there is work to be had.

If you had asked me 5 years ago what my life would be like if I had a year off from work, I would never have envisioned this. It's not fun, it's not empowering, and I'm not having a good time. It's like being stuck in molasses, watching the world go by. I've tried to make the best of it, but let's face it: it really hasn't been my year.

When people talk about the habits and practices of successful people, they always leave out a key ingredient: luck. I'm not bitching about the vagaries of fate, because I suspect that life is ultimately what you make of it. But to compeltely discount the role of Chance is ridiculous.

You can make all the correct decisions, wise investments and proper choices in the world and it's not enough. You can work your hardest, fulfill your obligations and follow all the rules and it won't make a bit of difference if you're not also a little lucky. Or rather, all your efforts and intentions can be erased by just a bit of bad luck. One chance thing goes awry, one missed meeting, one accidental turn, and you've got bupkis.

And since so many of us live on the teetering edge of ruin, it can be really hard to come back from the One Big Miss. Not that it's impossible, it's just logistically horrific and non-intuitive. It's not just a matter of redoubling efforts.

Which is to say, I'm not jobless because I'm lazy. I think I might be jobless because I'm useless and unlucky.