To Those Who've Earned My Respect and the Sense of Duty

I was debating as to whether or not I should post a blog, and my judgment led me to 'yes'. I recently left my old job working at a dog kennel due to awkward hours and the distance I would have to drive each day, especially when having to drive there twice a day occasionally. That, coupled with the fact that theres been some family issues that unfortunatly I find myself in the middle of has made this vacation, thus far, quite interesting. However, recognizing the fact that because the world isn't based on egalitarianism and cooperation, and that I must find a way to supplement my income, I was forced to make a decision to start find a job that would not only hire me, but would do so for such a short time period and was somewhat close. Thus, I ended up at a job I worked at years ago but left due to school related issues. Now, don't get me wrong, the people there are great, I greatly appreciate them hiring me back, and it is nice to get to work with people instead of dogs for awhile (only a matter of time, I'm sure, before that changes.)

It isn't all that great, however, because a part of me feels that I'm violating my morals by working there. I don't mind putting a hard days work in, and I support those who work there for whatever reason, but I'm bothered by the fact that I'm working for corporate America and contributing to the rising problems of health in this country (I'm working at fast food.) Now, of course with me being vegetarian its somewhat interesting since I feel completely out of place with the food. And, I'm not sure if I should be looking upon this as sort of hypocritical, a means to an ends, or just looking too deep into it. And thus I remind myself of Arjun and the counsel he received from Lord Krishna about duty. That even when we do something that we feel strongly opposed, we must recognize our fulfillment of duty. Of course, I may not be truly understanding what the Bhagavad Gita is trying to say, but I hope that at least I've some inclination as to how to approach the matter.

But, thats really not the reason why I wrote this. Yes, sense of duty was one small part, but the other small part is sort of a rant/complaint. My legs are killing me, having put in 10 hours today and 24 hours of work between finishing at the kennel and then here at my new job in the last two days. That is to say, in less than the past 48 hours, 24 of them have been working. I'm physicall exhausted, and pushing onto mental exhaustion right now as well. Fortunately I've the day off tomorrow which is a welcome relief. But, the main message of this is that I commend, honor, and respect every single individual in the world who spends every day of his or her life working hard, sometimes 10, 12, or 14 hours a day to make a living. I can not begin to imagine their dedication, committment, and sense of duty. And while I'm sure they wish for brighter days I hope they know that they are truly remarkable and wonderful people, and I do not think I have the resolve to work 14 hours a day every day of the week for a lifetime. But, this isn't for just those who work such a large number of hours, but to every person, a sense of honor and respect for their place and their purpose, no matter what it be. We all have our duties, whether or not we choose them, and no matter what duty we have been assigned each is a noble endeavor onto itself. And while there are those of us who wish we had something a bit different or easier or profitable, it goes without saying that we are all remarkable for what we do. Thus, the entirety of the human race has earned some of my respect for that sole reason, and I hope that I can continue to go about my job with such a sense of equanimity.