Work, Who Needs It?

I got an email today that sort of ticked me off. I know longtime Sneed readers will be surprised by that reaction, but it is true. I'm not sure that this post will mean anything to anyone else but it is very personal to me. There's a fellow in Nashville, TN. named Dan Miller, who operates a little empire called 48 Days To The Work You Love. I subscribed to Mr. Miller's free e-letter because at the time I did so, I was 38 years into the work I didn't love, so the title intrigued me. I guess the premise of Mr. Miller's business is that we all have something that we really want to do, but haven't figured out what it is or how to get there yet. Mr. Miller seems to operate on the premise that if we find the right work, it won't seem like work and we can just do it forever and ever, amen. I have read his e-letters and listened to his podcasts, but they mostly seem geared toward the assistant manager at Gap who wants the manager job. I exaggerate but not much. What I was looking for (and still am) is something that is not a job, but a calling. So far I've come up empty, although I confess to not looking that hard. Not to be unfair to Mr. Miller, but he has found the work he loves in writing and selling his stuff to people who don't love their work. Not exactly like working at the Gap or at Tedious Industries. I'm guessing that Miller has never had to call a meeting with himself to say that he will remain at his desk until 4:15 pm or else. What has me in a snit is the e-letter I received today. The letter has an article called “Earned” Retirement – or Hedonism? Well, excuuusssse me Dan! Miller tells a story of a friend he calls Sam, who retired at 53 years of age and is just sitting around enjoying the retirement that he "earned". Miller is flabbergasted (his word) that this guy who has time, energy and money choses to do nothing. Miller cites none other than Rick Warren of the Purpose Driven Life empire as an authority on the subject. Warren says that wanting to feel good, be comfortable and have fun is the definition of Hedonism, which he evidently thinks is a bad thing. I call it living, but let's not quibble. So, now that I have ransomed myself, I get to decide when I come and when I go. I get out of bed a free man each morning. That is worth a lot to me. Retirement is my job and I am my client. Miller concludes his latest e-letter with a question. He asks "How would you like to stand before God and say, When I began my adult life I spent the first 30 years in a job I hated and then I spent the next 30 years looking at my navel. Now what kind of ‘treasures’ do I have in store here to enjoy for eternity?” Setting aside my obvious conflict with the validity of that scenario and the question's obvious conflict with Christian scriptural teaching, I'll take a shot at the answer. The question creates the logical fallacy of a false dichotomy. Working or staring at one's navel are not the only two points on the continuum of activity. I do lots of things. Granted, most involve me having fun, but some are family commitments that I couldn't keep if I had a job. I have no problem defending my work situation. Besides, if God doesn't want me sitting around, he could whack me now and keep me from "wasting" the next thirty years. Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky