Self-Fulfillment
From World Religion News
In the Essay "The Importance of Work" Author Betty Friedan expresses the impact that a persons work has on their own self-fulfillment.
In the essay “The
importance of Work”, the writer Betty Friedan discussed the topic about how men
and women find self-fulfillment or identity through work or not. Some of the things she brought up was how in today’s
society men find it harder to be fulfilled through their work than they would
of say fifty years ago. That is because work today is no longer enough for survival.
Meaning that because in today’s society the women work as well, so men are no
longer the main income for the family. Also, in the essay she talks about
identity crisis for women, and how feminism has been important to women both in history and today. That if women
had never fought back to get their rights they would be even weaker than when
they started in society. Now they are able to go out and work and participate
in society so to speak.
While reading the
essay I felt very intrigued on the topic of self-fulfillment, I agree with the
author when she talks about both men and women wanting to find something that
makes them feel fulfilled in life. From my own experience I know people who
will switch form job to job and finding new hobbies because they don’t feel
like what they are currently doing is enough. They want to find something that
they feel gives them a purpose and makes them feel good to be doing, like a job
or something is just more than a job. I also think that this is where an identity
crisis can comes in, people realize that what they are doing is just going through
a routine and they are not doing something that actually makes them happy. They
want to feel like they have a purpose and worry once they start thinking that
they don’t know who they are or what they want in life.
Another topic I found
very interesting and was not so sure of was when she talked about was if a woman
does choose to “forfeit her humanity” because she may choose to stay at home
with the kids or be a housewife. Betty goes on to say that they have no goals,
or they live their life by a pattern. I don’t think that there is anything
wrong with this choice of lifestyle because I think many people who do have
jobs and hobbies live life like a pattern.
I find that topic very interesting as well since its becoming more and more predominant nowadays. I agree with the idea of trying new hobbies or jobs, trying to figure out something you'd like mainly because we're taught to do that, or at least I was. I'm always down for something new and if it becomes a significant part of my being, so be it.
ReplyDeleteAlso I totally agree with your sentiment with allowing women to do what they want. The idea of forfeiting your humanity seems a little odd because sometimes people just want to stay at home or be a housewife. We're all about choice but yet the moment someone wants to do something that's deemed "traditional" it's considered bad. I dunno, I find it interesting to say the very least. It definitely makes for a good discussion topic though.
I like your topic very much. The whole concept of "the importance to work" and self fulfillment means so much. The key is that not everyone have work as there first priority. But going back to what you said, you are 100% correct.
ReplyDelete