Tesla layoffs: Elon Musk's memo asks employees to "advance the cause" — Quartz at Work:
People who work in social-sector jobs that serve a moral purpose, such as protecting children from abuse or serving the elderly, are typically under-resourced and overworked, mainly, Ballard says, because of the myth that people who heed a higher calling—including teaching or nursing—can somehow be satisfied with the knowledge that they’re improving the world. This idealized view that connects our noblest work to poverty “comes from the priesthood,” she says, “and can be used as a way to get people to downplay practical needs and concerns,” like sleeping and eating.
A lot of academics can fall into this trap as well. I picked up the graphic novel version of Paul Coelho's The Alchemist today, in part because it was so popular with the kids I taught in Qatar. The underlying theme (so far) seems to be that if you don't align yourself with the universe and pursue your true calling, you'll live an empty, depressing life devoid of meaning. I wonder how many academics buy into this essentially Coelhoian world view.
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