A very wise teacher once told me that " we are human beings, not human doings". That statement has always resonated with me. It also made me want to understand why I hated the question, "So What Do You Do? ".
It took me a long time, but I finally figured out why I hate that question.
The question is imbued with the self limiting values of our career oriented consumer culture.While the intent of this question is generally innocuous on a personal level, on a cultural level the question is far more loaded.
The real meaning of this question in Western culture is " What Is Your Job, or "How Much Money Do You Make?". The subtext of all this is "are you better than me in the hierarchy of careering and consumption?
The underlying subtext of the question is really quite predatory. Am I "better" than you or are you "better" than me?
In reality the question is far more complex if taken at face value. I may have three jobs, but what I "do" is far more varied and diverse than the tasks I undertake in order to make money and I think that most people would agree that their lives are far more than whatever it is that brings in a paycheck.
So now when people ask me this question I always answer "as much as I possibly can". I am not trying to be glib in my response, but merely suggesting that such a seemingly simple question actually begs for a complicated response and if you have half an our or so, I'll be glad to answer you fully.
And thank you for asking, by the way what do you do?
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