•••• WHE R E THE R E S ' A W I L L T H E R E S A WAY
My career is affected!
REV CAREL BOTMA
“S
o I hated life, because
the work that is done
under the sun was grievous to me.
All of it is meaningless, a chasing
after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:17
to 22).
The first impression one gets
when reading this Scripture, and
particularly this verse, is that the
writer must have been extremely
disillusioned with life and his
work. He finds himself caught up
in the cobweb of life where the
never-ending cycle of birth, work
and death is chewing him up and
spitting him out. The impression
is that life is an absolute torment.
“So I hated life, because the work
that is done under the sun was
grievous to me.” (Verse 17).
I grew up on a farm and I often
long for the uncomplicated life
which I knew there. The farm
life which I remember was char-
acterised by a peaceful existence
where farming required relatively
low input costs. Farmers planted
grain, bred cattle and could mar-
ket it profitably. Even the small-
holder managed to be successful.
I don’t want to imply that there
were no droughts or setbacks.
Obviously it was also part of a
farmer’s risks. However, they were
not as vulnerable to possible set-
backs as they are today. I am sure
there are other people, like me,
who long for the idealised farm
life of milk and honey. However,
farming has changed dramatically
in the meantime.
During interviews which I held
with farmers for purposes of my
research, the disillusionment with
farming amongst farmers was
glaringly evident. They indicated
that when they started out, it was
with enthusiasm and ideals for
the future, but that farming has
degenerated into a daily fight
for survival without any
prospect of new objectives
or hope. Farmers find
themselves caught up
in this situation. They
are not trained for any
other career and farm-
ing is in their blood.
They also invested a
lifetime in this indus-
try, which means that
they are totally commit-
ted to their land.
This scenario is only one
example of what is happening
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APRIL/MAY 2017 • SENWES Scenario
in so many other career situations.
The corporate world is becoming
increasingly competitive. Whether
you own or manage a company
or whether you are merely an
employee, you will be able to
identify with what farmers are
experiencing in their industry. In
the never-ending chase after dead-
lines, targets, marketing and sales,
it is possible to lose some measure
of job satisfaction and motivation.
Are you also struggling to under-
stand the meaning of your work
and your life and do you wonder
if you have reached the point
where you are starting to hate
everything which you keep your-
self busy with every day, as stated
in Ecclesiastes?
Everything you work so hard for,
comes to nothing. Everything
is chasing after wind. You have
become weary of life, you feel
powerless against unchangeable
issues such as inflation, fluctuating
prices, political climate, etcetera,
which you are confronted with
on a daily basis. You feel power-
less, hopeless and overwhelmed
- it does not matter how hard
you try, you just don't seem to
be able to make a difference -
nothing is going to change. You
have exhausted your emotional
reserves...
“So my heart began to despair
over all my toilsome labour under
the sun. All their days their work
is grief and pain; even at night
their minds do not rest” (Verses
20 and 23).