The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ®

I think I already know why people are so engrossed about work. I think I'm already getting a glimpse of why work is so important to the Average Joe--or in our case, the Average Juan.

I believe that people revere work so much because it lets them escape their problems even for a very short while. It gives people the excuse to not think about their worries even for just a few number of hours because they have something more important to attend to at work. We wear our own personal masks in the office everyday and we don't even know it. After we argue with our parents before we leave the house, we return to the sanctuary of the workplace where another world awaits us--different responsibilities and different people to talk relate to. Everything is just not related to the problems that we have outside of these corporate walls.

And so I believe that to some people, the workplace isn’t that much of a prison as it is more of a haven of sorts. People go to work to make a living but I think work gives so much more back to the individual. I feel that work gives people a sense of purpose in life. I feel that work gives people the temporary relief they cannot find when in the presence of the people they come into contact day in and day out. It’s very strange because the people that we call family are the ones who make us feel bad day in and day out; they’re the ones who hurt us the most. (although I have to confess, all of us have our better days) And when people immerse themselves in work, they are given the chance to forget every hurtful word, every misdeed, every annoyance that happens in their life.

Sometimes, all I want to do is forget everything.

They say familiarity breeds contempt. I, on the other hand, disagree. I think familiarity breeds apathy and indifference.

Of course, not everybody will be able to relate to this. Not everybody has a dysfunctional family. I am still waiting for that Eternal Sunshine that will come and take all my trauma away.