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May 20, 2012: Robert Messenger Speaking About Meaningful Work
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I define “Meaningful work” as paid and volunteer work that provides a net benefit to society and the planet without harming either. My research on the subject is limited to paid forms of work, because I believe that we wrongfully accept the notion that any paid job is “meaningful” regardless of the external effects of those jobs. The research I’m conducting for an eventual book will cover the breadth of jobs as classified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and discuss the “How” and “What” of meaningful work. Because there are many types of jobs, this overview will be a very topical overview of one sector, the military-industrial complex.
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We are conditioned to believe that all paying forms of work (that are legally-recognized) are “meaningful” because they give people something to do and the jobs generate economic growth and provide tax revenues. In an article written by Sherry Robinson that appeared in the Farmington Daily Times on January 13, 2009 entitled “Bad news is pretty good” the author remarks that growth in military spending and jobs is good for New Mexico: “White Sands is getting 3,500 troops plus an engineering battalion”.
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Few are those who discuss the consequences of the U.S. military-industrial complex when they tout these jobs, especially in a state such as New Mexico that is heavily dependent on federal defense spending for Los Alamos and Sandia labs, three Air Force bases and several other military installations. I doubt that New Mexico guidance counselors ask graduating students to consider the ethical implications of the jobs and career fields they choose; rather, they encourage them to do something they enjoy. Most of the available literature and discussions about “meaningful work” it seems are limited to the “how” of work:
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Find something you like to do
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Find something that pays well and has decent benefits
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Find a company and environment that treats you well
It does not matter if you make nuclear warheads for a living, as long as you get to work on cool scientific gadgets, have a good-paying job with social prestige, and have a nice boss.
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