ZetaTalk: Career Choices
Note: written on Jun 15, 1996

Lifelong endeavors, contrary to the usual assumption, are not typically career choices. Humankind, struggling to survive in most places, is forced into activities by either their physical location, their sex, or their native abilities. Primitive groups hunting and gathering left the females out of the hunting party so as not to distract the males. Physical strength in farming communities presses the young men into service, using their bodies, not their minds. Young women likely to become pregnant are pressed into activities that pregnant women can handle, in anticipation of their future state. Leadership falls to tall, large men almost invariably, as tradition has established them as the winners in physical contests, precursors to the verbal politics of today. Thus, most humans do not choose their occupations, they make the best of what they are presented with.

However, where a leisure class has developed or industrialization has provided food without the constant necessity to farm, choice is possible. Choice usually runs into tradition, with tradition winning, and this is much played out in the media. Given that an individual is indeed free to make a choice, is not required to take the best paying possibility in order to support dependents or is not threatened with loss of family or community support if they make an independent choice, then another drama ensues. Depending on their orientation, Service-to-Self or Service-to-Other, they will choose in the following manner.

• If leaning toward Service-to-Self, the individual will seek a position that gives them power and control over others. This may be disguised as serving others, as for instance joining the religious elite may be disguised as saving souls, but in fact is an opportunity to dominate others while intruding into their personal lives, a power trip. They will seek positions of power where few can resist, such as teaching the young in a military school, or acting as warden over a prison colony. Power and the desire to control others will take precedence over wealth and comfort, but this is the second priority.

• If leaning toward Service-to-Others, the individual will ponder what the needs of those around them are, and how their talents might best serve. Since those in the Service-to-Others are not without self interest, the occupational choice will undoubtedly include those activities that the individual enjoys. This is not a conflict of interest but a merging of interests, a win-win situation. Where there is a conflict, due to strong need in the community, the budding Service-to-Others individual will sacrifice his comfort and enjoyment, becoming the one to repair the sewer mains to prevent infection in the community if no one else is filling this need, for instance. Meeting the needs of the community takes precedence, where a choice is to be made.

• If of a mixed orientation, undecided, the spiritually immature individual will tend to focus on comforts and status, seeking lucrative occupations with lots of leisure time and where one can be on center stage getting applause. If the choice happens to give the individual control over others, they scarcely notice except that this may allows them to foist work onto others and increase their leisure time. If the choice happens to allow the individual to help the community, they are happy to take bows and applause, and may even seek such activity for this reason alone. However, the priority is to enjoy life and avoid discomfort.

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