Nothing says “I’m sophisticated, and I’m kicking back and relaxing” like a good bourbon on the rocks. There’s a sweetness to the flavor but also the burn of the alcohol as you savor the finely crafted liquor. A fire in the nearby fireplace adds to the enjoyment of passing the time with some of the finer things in life. These days it seems that every self-respecting man and woman appreciates a good cocktail at the end of a long work day. It’s a way to force a sense of calm and relaxation. A sense of self. Maybe it allows one to forget about their worries for some brief moment, some much needed peace and tranquility.
No this isn’t an ad for Jack Daniels. Truth is there are plenty of options for ways to develop that moment of clarity and the sense of self. Some options are better than others. But a good cocktail just hits the spot. And of course it dulls the senses, loosens you up, and it makes things more fun. It’s what most of our parents did on most days to unwind, so it’s sort a traditional part of a daily routine.
For folks in the baby-boomer generation, it wasn’t uncommon to have a drink during the work day too. Depending on what type of work you did, there could be anywhere from an occasional sip from a personal hidden stash to a multiple rounds shared among coworkers. Cigarettes too were smoked inside of workplaces adding to the list of comforts that helped folks get thru their work days. Sexual relations, and other abuses of power topped it all off for the ruling males in the office. If you wanted a raise, you could probably get one pretty easily by just asking. Such was life for that lucky generation that didn’t fight in the big wars, but reaped the benefits of being the only industrial nation left standing.
Not that I’m condoning those types of behaviors, but you have to admit that with less rules compared to today, a grueling workday in the 60’s might have been a bit more bearable. Of course, many of those behaviors are highly condemned in today’s world, and for good reason. Rules have appropriately been made to establish punishments for such behaviors. But I digress.
What this post is really about, is that the corporate world, if it ever was a very rewarding place, is not what it once was. Greed. Rules. Bureaucracy. Regulations. These things, and probably a few others have made the traditional route for good upstanding citizens a miserable hell-bound purgatory. It’s a non-stop treadmill of futility designed to squeeze out all the value from its low level employees to truly reward a very small minority of executives and their investors. Further solidifying this realization that the traditionally desirable lifestyle has been raped and pillaged by corporate greed is the fact a student has to borrow and spend close to $100,000 on an education, and leave with a piece of paper and an average debt burden of over $30,000. Regardless of whether that student has truly found her highest and best purpose-driven career, she must find the safest and most efficient way to pay off that loan. And regardless of whether it was the right career choice, the sucky corporate existence, the monotony and the financial stress will test the worker’s resolve. Throw in the shock of a major financial downturn driven by a combination of greed and negligence, and rub the world’s nose in it by letting most of the major perpetrators get off scott-free, and you’ve at least weakened your workforce’s morale, if not destroyed it. Life has become very expensive, with little hope for a comfortable retirement of any length. The system might try to pull wool over your eyes so you don’t realize the problem. It will try to convince you everything’s ok, rope you into fighting some sort of political cause, or get you nostalgically hooked on some ritualistic indulgence, maybe some booze.
In this environment, the spirit, its often in danger. It’s not easily fulfilled. Sure yeah. Fulfillment is probably a luxury, an abstract concept that sounds hokey. But it’s worth toiling for. It’s worth putting up with the unpleasantries until a little financial freedom’s been earned. All along, don’t lose touch with your spirit. Keep it close. Wield it, just under the surface.