Ice breakers for when you do not work?

[mewtwo]

So in America a popular way to get to know someone or to break the ice is to ask what a person does for a living. Well with the current rate technology is going jobs are going to become less and less and will become somewhat of a rarity. So I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for icebreakers that people can use that do not involve asking what the person does for a living what do Eastern countries do and such as far as icebreakers go? What are the customs for ice breakers and getting to know someone in Eastern traditions?

[Karl]

So in America a popular way to get to know someone or to break the ice is to ask what a person does for a living. Well with the current rate technology is going jobs are going to become less and less and will become somewhat of a rarity. So I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for icebreakers that people can use that do not involve asking what the person does for a living what do Eastern countries do and such as far as icebreakers go? What are the customs for ice breakers and getting to know someone in Eastern traditions?

 

It doesn't really matter as long as you are asking questions and allowing the other person to tell you about themselves. I don't work and I still ask people what they do for a living.

[mewtwo]

It doesn't really matter as long as you are asking questions and allowing the other person to tell you about themselves. I don't work and I still ask people what they do for a living.

Do you not work due to disability or something else or just no jobs because of technology?

[allinone]

excellent way to bring energy down from the head. Very uncomfortable.

 

once its down you won't have that issue anymore for a while till you are back up again.

Edited February 17, 2016 by allinone

[mewtwo]

excellent way to bring energy down from the head. Very uncomfortable.

 

once its down you won't have that issue anymore for a while till you are back up again.

Can you please explain what you mean?

[allinone]

I think:

What you do for a living is a romance question. You afraid that the other person will dislike you when you tell that you don't have job or you are a janitor. But when you would be a businessman then you would feel comfortable because you know you are better than the other person. 

 

The energies what you desire are up but your reality(you are a lowlife) is down. Anyway if you wouldn't have that issue then you would have no problem with speaking with strangers or anyone else.

[Karl]

Do you not work due to disability or something else or just no jobs because of technology?

 

Because I preferred not to. I wanted to see what might develop if I stopped doing something that wasnt making me happy. Luckily I'm in a position that I can do that with some cutting back on lifestyle.

[allinone]

Same type of thing when you end up in jail and you were a policeman. You are in a place where you have disadvantage, its kind of impossible to forget or ignore your past when the persons you put there are there with you right now.

[mewtwo]

Because I preferred not to. I wanted to see what might develop if I stopped doing something that wasnt making me happy. Luckily I'm in a position that I can do that with some cutting back on lifestyle.

 

I am in a similar position for around about two and a half years I looked for work and I could just see the job I wanted disappearing more and more due to technology and a lot of jobs going that way. So I asked myself would I rather do a job I hate then just do nothing and be happy. I do get a monthly income that I can live on so I don't really need a job. So that is what I am doing now I am still grappling a little bit with the fact that society expects me to get a job.

 

 In case you're wondering the job I was looking for was computer repair.

[Karl]

I am in a similar position for around about two and a half years I looked for work and I could just see the job I wanted disappearing more and more due to technology and a lot of jobs going that way. So I asked myself would I rather do a job I hate then just do nothing and be happy. I do get a monthly income that I can live on so I don't really need a job. So that is what I am doing now I am still grappling a little bit with the fact that society expects me to get a job.

 

 In case you're wondering the job I was looking for was computer repair.

 

Are you being entirely honest with yourself ?

 

Sometimes having a job is just as important as making a living from a job. Also, the money you currently get might be insufficient to have the kind of life you really want. Shuttering up your goals to suit circumstances isn't a great way to go about living.

 

You should want to be productive and not let yourself be discouraged by circumstances. I wasn't forced to quit my job, it was a personal choice and one which took some courage to carry out. Like any change I wasn't entirely comfortable and, like you, I still had some concerns over my personal standing in the community.

 

I do study, I have written and published a book and am writing a lengthy novel. Once I had direction then that was my new career path. Not an easy one and I haven't made a bean out of it, but I'm sticking at it. I don't advise just slouching about. If you have the time available then use it to gain new skills, improve your mind, fitted your body. Do what you like to do, but do it with passion.

[Karl]

Same type of thing when you end up in jail and you were a policeman. You are in a place where you have disadvantage, its kind of impossible to forget or ignore your past when the persons you put there are there with you right now.

 

Yes, you can't avoid that. I had a very well paid career and lots of perks. My life was quite hedonistic. Walking through our local town on a weekday surrounded by welfare recipients wearing track suits and pushing multiple baby chairs was quite a shock to the system. I couldn't pop into the local motorcycle dealers and spend £15K on a new machine, or buy a new helmet. I had become a window shopper and tyre kicker. Holidays had been spent in exotic places became a wet week in a caravan park. I miss some of it, but not the pain suffered to get it.

[mewtwo]

Are you being entirely honest with yourself ? Sometimes having a job is just as important as making a living from a job. Also, the money you currently get might be insufficient to have the kind of life you really want. Shuttering up your goals to suit circumstances isn't a great way to go about living. You should want to be productive and not let yourself be discouraged by circumstances. I wasn't forced to quit my job, it was a personal choice and one which took some courage to carry out. Like any change I wasn't entirely comfortable and, like you, I still had some concerns over my personal standing in the community. I do study, I have written and published a book and am writing a lengthy novel. Once I had direction then that was my new career path. Not an easy one and I haven't made a bean out of it, but I'm sticking at it. I don't advise just slouching about. If you have the time available then use it to gain new skills, improve your mind, fitted your body. Do what you like to do, but do it with passion.

I always learn something new I try and always learn. I would say I'm being honest with myself

[Karl]

I always learn something new I try and always learn. I would say I'm being honest with myself

 

Good stuff.

[vonkrankenhaus]

Re:

-----

"So in America a popular way to get to know someone or to break the ice is to ask what a person does for a living."

-----

 

Really it is "for a corporation" moreso than for a "living".

 

So in america it is asking "so, what do you do for the corporations"?

 

A "corporation" is a "fake person".

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[bax44]

Ha this is funny or serendipitous or something. Was recently thinking about how most (90 plus percent) of females I meet ask what I do for work straight out. You could make a joke out of it. tell them you sing at funerals. Or deliver ice cream but only on days that begin with S. Most WILL judge you for what you do or dont do work wise, and the sad fact is most will let that dictate their interest from then on.  yesterday was watching a youtube video from someone who talks about how our morality as a society is way out of alignment and he brought up this very issue. Our recognition of each others "worth" is becoming less and less about what we can offer as human beings in a moral sense and more about what we earn or what job we have, etc. So instead of asking "whats your job", a more conscious individual may ask what your views on right/wrong are, or things of that nature which hold true value.. Just something to think about before you go beating yourself up about this.. flip the script, start demanding that the ones you interact with have more depth to them and havent totally been conditioned into a more basist type worldview. Just a thought. Im not saying its not good to get to know one another in a superficial manner at first, but when its a theme that repeats where most you meet want to know right out the gate, Ive taken it to be somewhat of a red flag.

Edited February 17, 2016 by bax44

[liminal_luke]

I´ve never liked the "what to you do?" question.  By "do" people really mean "how do you make money?" of course, and it´s often a way of sizing people up so they can be put in some sort of category.  Successful or not successful.  Smart and productive, or stupid and relatively useless.  Although perhaps this is the viewpoint of someone whose never had a very satisfying answer to this question.

 

Years ago I revisited my old elementary school and talked briefly with my old sixth grade teacher.  She asked all the stock questions.

 

What do you do?  (massage therapist)

Are you married? (nope)

Any kids? (nope)

 

It was not a very satisfying conversation, but things really took a dive when she inquired about my brother.

 

What does your brother do? (He´s a doctor.)

Is he married? (yes)

Any kids? (yes, one boy and one girl)

 

She was very enthused at how my brother had "turned out," but had nothing much to say about me. In retrospect, I wish she had asked different questions.  What interests you?  Where have you traveled?  What qualities are you trying to develop in yourself as a person?  What kind of books do you like to read?  What do you do for meditation/spiritual development?

 

Unfortunately for me, these are not the typical questions people ask when getting to know someone.   

[dust]

In response to the OP.. you could ask all sorts of things.

 

What have you eaten today?

What's your favourite thing to do?

Have you ever been on an aeroplane? To where?

Are you happy with the current system of government?

 

 

 

Sometimes having a job is just as important as making a living from a job.

 

Yeah..though I would say simply "Having something to do is just as important as making a living."

 

(You explain why later in your comment.) I just don't think the word 'job' is necessary. If one doesn't need to work for someone else to make a living, one should feel no pressure to. Though I agree that one should, in any event, attempt to direct one's energy towards productive/creative ends.

 

 

 

Unfortunately for me, these are not the typical questions people ask when getting to know someone.   

 

Ditto.

[RigdzinTrinley]

I don't believe in the concept of work that most people in Europe have adopted

 

Its pretty sick if you ask me

[Seth Ananda]

I just ask people how they like to spend their time, or what they are into?

[silent thunder]

First off I ask people where they are from, not what they do... and then how they liked where they grew up, what it was like... etc.  If they are not a native or local, I am always curious as to what caused them to migrate from where they grew up to where they ended up.  Many fascinating stories come from this alone.  Sometimes I'll ask about their families, but this depends greatly on the tone of the first answers... for some folks, family is a harsh topic, so I'm always gauging that to not shut them down early on...

 

I then have a few standard questions I almost always ask:

If you were stranded on an island and could only have one musical artist/band to listen to while stranded, who would it be?  This has led me to discovering all sorts of great musicians and groups I would otherwise likely never have found.

 

Then I follow that up that same question but with an author, or book series.  Between these first few questions we usually bring up enough substance and related topics to fill several hours of conversation and once the inertia is rolling, things just naturally flow.

 

I like the direction these two questions take the conversation because they get to the heart of something that the person feels deeply about and so engage them on a deeper level as well as revealing something about their character based on their interests and taste.

 

Favorite films is another good one to start things flowing.

 

I also adore humor and find it to be supremely healing.  I was a stand up comic and actor for 15 years and use my improv skills daily to keep things light and frequently will make fun of myself in order to lighten up folks who seem tense or shy.  Once they see me openly sharing my current and past faults and laughing at them, it really opens them up and decreases anxiety.  

 

My career is not full time, but when I am working my job has me constantly working long hours in various locations under stressful conditions and frequently partnering up with complete strangers, usually just one other partner for specific small tasks, which then come together with the work of other small groups to complete the whole project.