I was reflecting today on how important we like to think we are.  I suppose most people are not as bad as I, but I feel as though I need to be needed; otherwise, I don’t feel I am living a life.  I had a job with one firm for 17 years and I foolishly thought I was irreplaceable.  I am not alone in foolishness.  Others told me I was irreplaceable.  Maybe they were trying to make me feel okay about going to work 9 hours a day, 250 days per year for 17 years.  When they threw me out as they did with many others, particularly the irreplaceable ones, I found that I did not even leave the presence of a shadow at the firm.  How frustrating is that?  There is no trace of anything I have done.  That sucks.

One learns not only to devalue one’s work but also to denigrate it and reduce the effect of caring about what one does.   As It turns out, there really is no need for the hit-by-a-bus test or the Powerball test because almost all workers are worthless pieces that are easily replaceable.  It is hard when you lose your idealism and realize this at a relatively old age.  How much Read the rest of this entry »