This is such a well written essay and a near perfect description of the soul-sucking drudgery of the mundane modern day workforce and the interactions with the soulless individuals that we come into contact with on a daily basis.
Ironically enough, I read this at 5:30 AM this morning before I went into work (contemplating all my decisions in life as I normally do at that hour), and experienced the same man walking his dog at the edge of the neighborhood. I then came into my healthcare job and experienced the same zombies checked out on their cell phones, and listened to the same trivial conversations amongst surgeons and mid-level practitioners on the other side of the drapes.
And for what it's worth, I was a firefighter/paramedic for 15 years working in a busy rough ghetto neighborhood making 40K a year. I retired from that and now I'm a nurse anesthetist and make 40K a month, and nothing much has changed. The bullshit is still all the same, just at a different level, in a different environment. Miss the brotherhood and camaraderie of the fire department though, every day of my life!
It's great to receive feedback like this. There's an ever present voice in my head when I write things like this which says, "maybe this is a YOU thing. No one will really relate here"... So to see it land means a lot.
I identify with everything you said. It's helpful for me to see vocation as simply that. In very few jobs, identity and money come from the same place and it's a privilege to experience a job like that. A lot of jobs are not that, and perhaps the sooner you can come to that realization the better.
I feel privileged to have been a fireman and paramedic for as long as I was and to have come out of it still healthy with no significant or debilitating injuries. And I feel very privileged to do what I do now.
And to your point, I've also felt at certain times that it was maybe just a "you" thing. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that I truly believe that we're all experiencing a lot of the same emotions and reactions to the world around us.
I had a conversation with a good buddy of mine back home who is a captain of the same fire department that I worked for. He's getting ready to retire and is not ready for it. But something with the world around him he said just seems "off." I told him that I feel the same way but I think many people do as well. He recommended that movie "Train Dreams" to me and I appreciated the overall message of the flick regarding the interconnectedness amongst us all. I'm not a huge movie buff, but it was a beautiful film that I think speaks to many of us who are truly in-tune and awake to life.
Thank you man. You write these things and you sort of have a clue that they're not for mass consumption. If you can land even with a single person it means a lot. Hope you're well man.
The irony of reading this in my hotel room after a day of sales meetings and a steak dinner with a client. The story has a palatable tension that creates discomfort for the reader. It provides a connection to the thousands of meaningless interactions that we spend our precious life energy on in exchange for worthless consumption.
Great piece. The premise reminds me of Sebastian Junger’s Tribe. Have you read it? I didn’t serve but felt a flatness after my daughter came home (fortunately) from a 8 month cardiac ICU stay. So much striving for her to survive, at the hospital everyday, and she did and then back to the humdrum. Had then (and still do) a hard time making small talk sometimes.
I have. Actually had the good fortune of interviewing Sebastian last year. I really appreciate you reading and knowing that there’s connections beyond military service. Thank you.
Saw this through my LinkedIn connection to Kevin Stark, so I made the time to read it, and I want to say: well done. You've captured something Frankl wrote about in Man's Search for Meaning...how the loss of purpose cuts deeper than any physical transition, and how we either find new meaning in the system we're in or slowly numb ourselves to survive it. I'm working through my own version of this journey, so I can relate. For me, Tom's struggle isn't about adaptation, it's about whether there's room for who he actually is in a world that values connection over utility in all the wrong ways.
I really appreciate you reading Scott. Well said. I want to believe there's room in the world for who Tom is, but my experience tells me he'll have to do some hard work and searching.
Someone else commented that the character in this story, while challenged, has the privilege of awareness. And that, in the net of it all, it's probably better than the alternative. Be well.
This is such a well written essay and a near perfect description of the soul-sucking drudgery of the mundane modern day workforce and the interactions with the soulless individuals that we come into contact with on a daily basis.
Ironically enough, I read this at 5:30 AM this morning before I went into work (contemplating all my decisions in life as I normally do at that hour), and experienced the same man walking his dog at the edge of the neighborhood. I then came into my healthcare job and experienced the same zombies checked out on their cell phones, and listened to the same trivial conversations amongst surgeons and mid-level practitioners on the other side of the drapes.
And for what it's worth, I was a firefighter/paramedic for 15 years working in a busy rough ghetto neighborhood making 40K a year. I retired from that and now I'm a nurse anesthetist and make 40K a month, and nothing much has changed. The bullshit is still all the same, just at a different level, in a different environment. Miss the brotherhood and camaraderie of the fire department though, every day of my life!
It's great to receive feedback like this. There's an ever present voice in my head when I write things like this which says, "maybe this is a YOU thing. No one will really relate here"... So to see it land means a lot.
I identify with everything you said. It's helpful for me to see vocation as simply that. In very few jobs, identity and money come from the same place and it's a privilege to experience a job like that. A lot of jobs are not that, and perhaps the sooner you can come to that realization the better.
Thanks again for reading.
You have the skill to put the reader in the moment with you. Describing the
mundane in ways that feel more explosive. I love reading your work.
I feel privileged to have been a fireman and paramedic for as long as I was and to have come out of it still healthy with no significant or debilitating injuries. And I feel very privileged to do what I do now.
And to your point, I've also felt at certain times that it was maybe just a "you" thing. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that I truly believe that we're all experiencing a lot of the same emotions and reactions to the world around us.
I had a conversation with a good buddy of mine back home who is a captain of the same fire department that I worked for. He's getting ready to retire and is not ready for it. But something with the world around him he said just seems "off." I told him that I feel the same way but I think many people do as well. He recommended that movie "Train Dreams" to me and I appreciated the overall message of the flick regarding the interconnectedness amongst us all. I'm not a huge movie buff, but it was a beautiful film that I think speaks to many of us who are truly in-tune and awake to life.
Spot on. Absolutely amazing. I've lived this and I'm sure many others have as well, but I've never heard it captured as accurately as this.
Thank you man. You write these things and you sort of have a clue that they're not for mass consumption. If you can land even with a single person it means a lot. Hope you're well man.
Love this !
Thank you Francesca. I appreciate you.
Incredibly well-written and powerful Ben. You capture so much in such a short story. Resonates deeply
Oh man, thanks Kyle. I really appreciate you reading. Really enjoy your work as well.
The irony of reading this in my hotel room after a day of sales meetings and a steak dinner with a client. The story has a palatable tension that creates discomfort for the reader. It provides a connection to the thousands of meaningless interactions that we spend our precious life energy on in exchange for worthless consumption.
Thanks for reading. While that was intended, knowing you, some of that effort is exchanged for experience. For other people as well.
Very tidy. Nice ending… I like imagining he left his boss on read. Good show mate.
Appreciate Rich, thanks for reading.
Hope you’re well.
Great piece. The premise reminds me of Sebastian Junger’s Tribe. Have you read it? I didn’t serve but felt a flatness after my daughter came home (fortunately) from a 8 month cardiac ICU stay. So much striving for her to survive, at the hospital everyday, and she did and then back to the humdrum. Had then (and still do) a hard time making small talk sometimes.
I have. Actually had the good fortune of interviewing Sebastian last year. I really appreciate you reading and knowing that there’s connections beyond military service. Thank you.
Ben,
Saw this through my LinkedIn connection to Kevin Stark, so I made the time to read it, and I want to say: well done. You've captured something Frankl wrote about in Man's Search for Meaning...how the loss of purpose cuts deeper than any physical transition, and how we either find new meaning in the system we're in or slowly numb ourselves to survive it. I'm working through my own version of this journey, so I can relate. For me, Tom's struggle isn't about adaptation, it's about whether there's room for who he actually is in a world that values connection over utility in all the wrong ways.
Thanks for sharing.
I really appreciate you reading Scott. Well said. I want to believe there's room in the world for who Tom is, but my experience tells me he'll have to do some hard work and searching.
Comments like this mean a lot. Thank you.
No worries. Keep putting those fingers to keys (or pen to paper) - I have found writing to be therapeutic for my own journey.
This resonated with me!
I’m the guy walking his dog in the dark. I’m the guy having surface-level conversations with the client in order to pay for a nicer backsplash.
But what would we do if not this?
Thanks for reading John.
Someone else commented that the character in this story, while challenged, has the privilege of awareness. And that, in the net of it all, it's probably better than the alternative. Be well.
Great piece!
Thanks Laura.