There was an interesting post in the blog of John Mathison, a retired senior minister of the United Methodist Church in the U.S. on the self-same topic of “quiet quitting”. I believe he explained in a clear and succinct way what this current conversation is all about nowadays. To quote part of his Labor Day article posted last September 7, entitled “Quiet Quitting” —
“Our nation celebrates Labor Day to honor people who work in various fields of endeavor in order that we might enjoy a better quality of life. People who work a normal 40-hour workweek spend more time working than at any other venue during their waking hours.
Work is changing in 2002. People are not staying engaged in their places of employment. More Americans quit their job in April that in any other month on record, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
Aside from actual quitting, there has also emerged a prevalent work attitude that people are now calling “quiet quitting”. As Mathison continues in his blog –
“There’s a new term emerging—“quiet quitting.” My best understanding of this is a quote that says it evolves “not outright quitting your job, but – quitting the idea of going above and beyond.” You don’t quit your job, but you cease to give full effort to it and view it more as a time to accomplish personal interests than the employer’s expectations.
People who are practicing “quiet quitting” make it clear that they are not getting off the company payroll, but they are focusing their time on doing personal things during office hours.
One of the explanations for this trend is the fact that people are finding no purpose in their work. They see it as something being routine rather than bringing purpose to their lives.”
My view is that this work attitude has always existed in many people. It just became a bit more pronounced during covid when people became more reflective and the work pattern shifted to virtual work from home. In a way, it was good because it made one re-examine the quality of their lives. When I say quality, I refer to what Mathison also mentioned of striking a “balance between a good work ethic and the pace that shields you from burnout.” This is one way he suggests to resolve this situation.
I think that if you are in a job just for the paycheck, and nothing more, it is not as fulfilling as when you are aware of your contributory role within the larger picture, aside from the lessons learned from the experiences interacting with your co-workers and from making use of your creative juices, if necessary, to get the job done.
Last, but not least, I believe that working from an attitude of gratitude goes a long way towards being more positively engaged in the work at hand. I feel that in this way, one would not feel that he has to “disengage” to feel better. And one more thing, lucky are those who are in the kind of work they love to do anyway.
LITTLE WOMEN, KOREAN STYLE
With the start of October, the 10th month of the year, I recommend a wonderful new series out on Netflix – “Little Women”. No, not the 2019 American film written and directed by Greta Gerwig and based on the much-read and loved 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott.
I thought at first that it was a Korean adaptation of the novel by Louisa May Alcott. I thought it would certainly be interesting to see how it would be adapted Korean style. But, to my pleasant but quizzical surprise, it is an entirely different story. The modern day setting drama series “Little Women” is still ongoing in South Korea and Netflix but should be on its second to the last weekend of showing by the time this issue of Balita is released. They were showing 2 episodes every weekend – Saturday and Sunday. Fascinating and gripping story with an excellent cast including Kim Go Eun ( Cheese in the Trap 2016 and Guardian:The Lonely and Great God 2016), Nam Ji-Hyun (Suspicious Partner 2017) and Park Ji-hu. I was doing my best to resist watching it until the episodes were complete but upon taking a quick peek of the first 2 episodes weeks ago, I could not but get glued to the TV or to my laptop.
Check it out. It may just be your cup of tea (Twinings or not) for this bracingly cold October nights (or days. I know someone who “eats” Korean dramas for breakfast. Ha ha. You know who you are! Well, all I can say is, life is for living, whichever way you please.)
Happy birthday to Tokyo resident Jose Miguel Taylor, new dad to Leia Tanaka Taylor who makes my day everytime I see her videos.
Tessie O. Taylor