Two Basic Modes of Living and Working

There are two basic modes of living and working in this world:

For it

Against it

The “For It” Mode

Those for living in this world, affirm the value of this world and their life in it. They engage in their own well-being as well as the well-being of others and the world as a whole.

They accept the world as it is and their life in it. They are in and of the world. It’s their home. They are human, of the humus, the earth. They are terrestrials.

They love this world and their life in it. They live in harmony with the world as it is. They take good care of themselves and the world. They enjoy, nurture, nourish, and affirm themselves and others. 

They support the ongoing existence of the world and transform themselves and the world for the better.

They are well-fitted to life in this world. They weren’t born well-fitted; they were formed to be well-fitted by their elders and others who influenced them.

The “Against It” Mode           

Those against living in this world, deny the value of this world and their life in it. They engage in harming themselves, others, and the world as a whole.

They disparage the world as it is and their life in it. They are in but not of the world. It’s not their home. They are not human. They are spiritual beings having a human experience. They are celestials; either images of a god, vessels containing an inner spark of a god, or manifestations of a god. They’re extraterrestrials.

They despise and endure this world and their life in it. They live in discord with the world as it is. They neglect themselves and the world.

They deny themselves with isolation from others, celibacy, childlessness, fasting, poverty, begging, obedience, servitude, sleeplessness, prayer, and voluntary suffering. In their minds, they escape and transcend this world.

They look forward to the end of the world and their ascension out of it back to their true home above. 

They are ill-fitted to life in this world. They weren’t born ill-fitted; they were formed to be ill-fitted by their elders and others who influenced them.

Neither Mode is Absolute

            

While one of the two modes tends to be our primary mode, few, if any, of us stay in one mode 100% of our life-time. We’re inconsistent. We mix the modes and shift back and forth between them throughout our life-time.

Sometimes our actions are in the “for it” mode. Sometimes they’re in the “against it” mode. Sometimes our actions are both. 

What matters is which mode we’re in most of the time.

Work, Part 3: What is Your Unique Work to Do?

Your work is both everything you do and the body of what you produce. As a unique individual, living a once-in-forever life, you have work to do.

Only you can do it. If you don't do your work, it won't get done. And we all lose.

What is your unique work? What is your unique body of work? If you know, how is it going?

If you don’t yet know, what are you doing to know it?

In Life Therapy, knowing your unique work and creating your unique body of work are essential. 

In Life Therapy, your self-as-story is your primary work. It is the most important work in your entire body of work.

How do you like your life-story so far?

How much longer do you have to work on it?

Work, Part 2: It’s What You Produce

Work is everything you do. It’s also what you produce by what you do. You produce a body of work. Your body of work is everything your work has produced to this point in your life.

Your body of work is far more than physical items. You produce emotions, moods, thoughts, mental images, vocalizations, memories, words, gestures, actions, meals, decorative arrangements, birthday parties and other social rituals, as well as the community, city, state, nation, world, and universe you live in.

Hobbyists, laborers, business professionals produce all kinds of things every day. Parents produce new human beings and release them to the world.

Whether or not you believe you’re creative, you are. Everything you do creates something. You cannot not create. The question is what.

What are you creating? What’s in your body of work so far?

Work, Part 1: It’s What You Do

Work. It’s what you do. In Life Therapy, work is everything you do, not just what you get paid for. Your job is work you get paid for. You do much more work than that.

Work is not just physical labor. Sadly, we Westerners still give almost exclusive recognition to physical labor. We feel, but rarely recognize, emotional, mental, and social labor. They do not produce tangible, measurable, sellable products.

The physical, emotional, mental, and social work you do influences everything else. Everything you do changes the world. It changes the entire universe.

Since you’re always doing something, you’re always changing the world. You do not choose to change the world. You cannot not change the world. 

The question is how.How is your work changing the world? How is it changing the universe?