No work is a real work

Ashok Silwal

Generally, when you think of a job,
You imagine a tiring activity
Which takes up a lot of your strength and time.
You can do it with passion,
You might like it very much,
But, in all cases,
You are away from home for many hours,
You have to force yourself
To do things that not always
Correspond to your ideas, to your tastes.
You have to try to get along with colleagues,
You have to fight against a certain repetitiveness.
Physical fatigue takes its toll.
Work is responsibility.

The idea of work is often associated
With that of heaviness.
It’s the farmer who works
In the fields with his buffalo,
It’s the doctor called urgently
In the middle of the night,
It’s the shopkeeper who has to sell
His goods in order to stay in business,
It’s the teacher who must find
Patience and enthusiasm,
It’s the office worker who must be punctual
And repeat the same things often,
It’s the guide who accompanies
Different people everyday
And must always be in good mood,
It’s the computer scientist
In front of his computer screen all day,
It’s the shepherd
Who has to return in the evening
With all his goats.

All jobs have more or less
Positive and negative aspects.
And everyone, even if we love them,
They tire us.

We work because we want to live better lives,
To do that we need
To have a way to make an income.
Work gives us access
To fulfill our various wants.

So, why is it said, in somewhat provocative way,
That ‘NO WORK IS REAL WORK’ ?

Because for many,
‘No work’ is worse than enduring
The physical and mental strains of a job.
‘No work’ makes you feel incapable;
Sometimes it demoralizes you.
But, actually, the work is inside you.
So, if you are a little lucky,
‘No work’, for a time, can become ‘real work’.

The people around will struggle to understand,
But you know that
Reflecting, resting, taking time for meditating,
For feelings, enjoying friends and nature,
For worshipping and praying,
For organizing future job,
For imagining people and things you love
Sometimes to empty your mind
And relax your body,
It’s not a waste of time,
It’s not ‘no working.’

So, yes, there is a ‘real work’ in ‘no work’
Because you are alone with your responsibilities,
Alone in front of yourself,
Of your doubts, your requests,
Your regrets, your misunderstandings.
No colleague to compare.
And this ‘internal’ work is often more tiring
Than an ‘external’ one, often more constructive and efficient.
Of course maybe it doesn’t bring immediate money..
But it strengthens and helps
To be yourself and face a ‘real work’.
These words which seems like a funny little proverb
Are actually rich in content.

So, no sense of guilt,
‘NO WORK IS REAL WORK’
Always do your best !

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