The butcher’s morning glory

I should really make more of the early mornings. I am generally a late riser (and a late sleeper as well, for that matter), owing mostly to my “laid-back” nature (that is what lazy people refer to themselves as nowadays). Let us just call me an “evening person” and leave it at that. Anyway, there used to be a time when I used to run in the early morning time (I know a lot of people who know me well will have a hard time believing it) or at least go out for extended walks. The mind is much more absorbent at this time. Consequently, I used to have a lot of “juice” that would inspire me to write. This notion led me to wake up early and take one of my good old extended mornings walks a few days ago. Looking back now, it seems it would have been a better idea to get out on my motorbike as I encountered a lot of petrol pumps on the way that were open for business. I was walking; petrol was available, the queues were really short – and I did not have my motorbike with me – I felt like an idiot – but that is beside the point.

Vocational discontent is something all people inevitably encounter at some point (or more) in their lives. You have been working in a given field on a given career track and possibly for a given employer for a number of years – monotony is bound to set in. You can’t help but wonder if there is something better out there – or if you’re simply in the wrong line of business. To me, for example, at times, my friends in other career tracks (mostly management) seem to have a lot more fun, seem to enjoy their work much more, and seem to hang out with much hipper crowds. This is probably just a perception issue, however (or maybe not — I don’t know). Luckily for me, however, at the core of it, I really enjoy what I do – so I manage to rectify any sort of occasional vocational discontent I encounter – plus my employers have been pretty good to me so far as well.

So, this morning, I was under a slight temporary spell of such discontent. As I was looping my thoughts around, I came across a closed butcher shop. It was very early in the morning; so the butcher shop was closed. From behind the shop, however, I could hear the morbid screams of goats and chicken that were being slaughtered. As sorry as I felt for the animals, I stopped then to think about the butcher.

Some job this guy has. What’s the first thing he has to do after waking up? Go out, pick some random animals out, and lop their heads off. In all fairness, if one really enjoys that sort of thing, it’s a different issue – I guess. But, really – what the hell was I complaining about? I sit on a comfortable desk all day, do stuff I enjoy, and get paid enough to contribute to my home expenses, add to my savings and still have disposable income left at the end of the day to have fun and maintain my lifestyle. This guy needs to slaughter defenseless animals every single day to make a living!

I then tried putting myself in the butcher’s position. Could I do it? Could I last? Coincidentally, I am one of those hypocritical wimps that enjoy meat, but are against animal cruelty and can’t bear to watch the sight of animals being tortured or killed. There was no way in hell I could ever do that. I counted my blessings and walked on. Who was I kidding? I love my job!

So, the next time you’re facing thoughts of discontent on the job, the thought of the butcher may help you – or it may not, if you enjoy murdering animals, I guess.