Work / Making a Living

[quadrant6]

Edited December 14, 2009 by quadrant6

[goldisheavy]

[Guest paul walter]

I've read and attempt to follow the teachings of Lao Tzu, Ramana Maharshi and other teachers. My main practice being mindfulness and self-enquiry.

 

Should I simply accept where I am and stay even though I feel it's detrimental to my health and spiritual progress?

 

 

 

Obviously if you have to post for advice on such a fundamental issue as your health and sanity there are other 'issues' going on. :lol:the long and the short of it is go for the garden job and forget all the advice from your 'loved' ones--it may sound harsh but they would rather see you miserable, even dead (believe it or not) than escape the expectations they have of you. If your'e trying to follow Lao and others you'll be living under the paradigm of uncertainty at this stage in your life-the thing is to observe and act, not worry so much about others' expectations. This all takes a sense of self-regulation that is NOT looked on kindly in this culture.Paul

[lino]

[3bob]

Hello Quadrant6,

 

I noticed that you did not mention supporting a spouse and children and keeping a roof over their heads thus your choices would seemingly be far more flexible compared to that of being in the position of a householder? (in that a householder has certain dharmas to fulfill)

 

Whatever the situation you feel you are in - it probably took some time to develop thus it may also take some time to change. Anyway, changing how you feel inside is far more important than changing your external situation or environment. So if we work from the inside out, then where-ever we find ourselves will be right and alright.

 

Om Shanti

[zazaza]

I think you can progress very well "spiritually" even if u keep the computer job,

but i don't believe sitting in front of computer 8 hours per day is healthy.

 

Other jobs may have other health risks,

and the money you make with the computer job could be spent on making this world a better place.

 

Maybe there are betters ways to earn money, and perhaps to earn more money.

Good luck in solving your rubik's cube (=life)

[idquest]

You might also think about your future a bit. How do you see yourlelf when you are 50-60-70? Still doing gardening? I have serious doubts that pension system is going to imrpove in next 20-40 years.

[de_paradise]

My impression of people working in gardens is that they are glowing and radiating health--that is, if the work isnt too backbreaking, like farming. I was just noticing a woman who was selling seedlings the other day, and she looked so strong, like from another world. Of course its more spiritually beneficial than sitting in front of a computer ya idjits.

 

But as mentioned, there are so many other variables in your cost/benefit equation that you have to plug in yourself. And maybe there is no cost/benefit equation at all, because anything you do will lead to dissatisfaction or dukkha. Thats a bit of a bind, isnt it? How to become enlightened so you can see there is no bind?

 

Personally, I would choose the route by which you can make the most spiritual progress, but that is much a function of how much meditation you do on your free time, and other stuff, not just how you earn money.

[Marblehead]

Hello Quadrant6,

 

I noticed that you did not mention supporting a spouse and children and keeping a roof over their heads thus your choices would seemingly be far more flexible compared to that of being in the position of a householder? (in that a householder has certain dharmas to fulfill)

 

Whatever the situation you feel you are in - it probably took some time to develop thus it may also take some time to change. Anyway, changing how you feel inside is far more important than changing your external situation or environment. So if we work from the inside out, then where-ever we find ourselves will be right and alright.

 

Om Shanti

 

I just wanted to repeat this post. Excellent considerations, I think.

 

Peace & Love!

[quadrant6]

Thanks for the replies everybody.

 

I should mention that I don't have any family depending on me but it's still a consideration as that could change in future.

 

What especially prompted the move is that I visited a natural health specialist and she confirmed what I already felt. That if I stay on the current path I'm on, I could eventually end up with auto-immune problems. She believes that I can get the stress under control, everything will fall into place but if I don't, it won't matter what special diet/supplements I'm on. My sister and a few other family members have many similar such disorders (may digestion related) and none of us handle stress well.

 

I have attempted to practice mindfulness at work on/off during my 6 years at the current job. I can never sustain it for very long. A large project comes up, my mind is taken over and I tend to take it home with me and analyze and worry.

 

I guess I won't 100% know until I try, whether the new job would be any better for my practice and health. But if it is then I believe it's quite possibly worth the large drop in pay. (less than half! but I can live)

Edited December 16, 2009 by quadrant6

[Inedible]

Should I simply accept where I am and stay even though I feel it's detrimental to my health and spiritual progress?

 

Now isn't a very good time to become a gardener. There aren't a lot of people who can afford to have gardeners and this could decrease at any time with little warning. Then you won't have either job and you may have difficulty explaining to potential employers why you switched.

 

It seems to me that there are things you can do to improve your stress levels, starting with taking a daily multivitamin and some B complex and maybe some 5-HTP and melatonin at night. DHEA in the morning. You may want to try a colloidal trace mineral supplement. It doesn't take much if you find you have a deficiency of one or more of them, and it is cheaper than getting tested. I tried a liquid colloidal trace mineral supplement, but I didn't read the instructions carefully until I had almost finished the bottle - refrigerate after opening. For that matter, probiotics like acidophilus can help you to absorb nutrients more easily. When you are experiencing chronic stress it is actually much harder for your body to absorb nutrients from food.

 

There was a technique I learned a few years ago, for working with the breath. When you breathe in think "accepting" and imagine that your breath is carrying all the qualities and energies you need. When you breathe out think "releasing" and imagine that everything not for your highest good (that you are ready to let go of) is being carried out with the air. It doesn't take a lot of concentration so you can do it at work while you go about doing your job, or even just for a few minutes from time to time during the day between tasks. The more frequently you can take a minute or two during the day to ground and center the better you may feel.

 

Before you make a radical change in the circumstances of your life, first consider that you are where you are as a result of choices you made in the past. Part of you, anyway, chose this. Until you know why you are where you are and what you meant to get from it, you may find that you will keep coming back to it whether you really want to or not.

[Marblehead]

Hi Quadrant6,

 

The only additional thing I would like to say is that we should follow our heart whenever we can.

 

If stress is your major concern there are many ways of dealing with that while still maintaining your present job and current income.

 

If you job is an 8 hour and day, 5 days a week and you have no commitment to others you could consider a part time envolvement in the gardening field.

 

So many choices! Just try to find the best for you.

 

Peace & Love!

[Ryan T.]

Should I simply accept where I am and stay even though I feel it's detrimental to my health and spiritual progress?

 

Your path is your path. You must ultimately make the decisions that you feel are best for your long-term health and well-being.

 

That being said. You don't describe your work environment in any real negative light. I would be asking myself if I want to look at other employment due to lack of job satisfaction or due to some belief that a person needs to be working in nature or with plants and such in order to achieve a higher spiritual practice. Because the latter just isn't necessarily the case.

 

A person can work among people(even in front of computers all day) and still have a beautiful, thriving spiritual practice.

 

In whatever your practice is, are you taking advantage of every opportunity that your more economically comfortable living currently affords you to have a deeper practice? Are you trying to leave the "rat race" so to speak or are you just running from your own inability to do what you need/want to do for yourself?

 

"Wherever you go, there you are."

 

Good luck.