I came across a handout from (I think a Priesthood lesson at) church over a year ago and it said something to the effect of "on judgement day, it's not going to matter in the least what your occupation was in this life..etc". Sorry for the terrible non-quote. I take that to mean "do whatever you like in this life (for a profession). Just make sure you're a good person who is keeping their covenants". Am I misinterpreting? I probably would have forgotten this paper entirely, if I didn't encounter similar sentiments frequently in other situations (casual conversations, lessons, talks, etc).
Isn't it better to choose-for your profession-something that will help other people? Change and improve lives? Improve the world in some meaningful way? I know that not everyone can change the world, but isn't that something we should strive for? If we have the choice between becoming a celebrity chef and becoming a human rights lawyer, wouldn't it be better to choose the latter? Isn't it important to strive to maximize our potential for doing good? Do you really think that God doesn't care AT ALL about what you spend 40+ hours a week doing-for decades of your life? I understand that people can do good and improve lives in really any profession they choose. But this is not an issue of good and bad; it's a question of good, better, and best. Shouldn't we choose the best?
Also corollary to this issue is this other belief that we encounter a lot here in Calgary: the idea that your only purpose in life is to take good care of your family, provide for them, raise your kids, fulfill your church callings, and be a nice person. Doesn't our responsibility extend further than that? Whatever happened to "where much is given, much is required"? What do people think that refers to? Or are people so completely ignorant of the poverty that exists in this world that they don't realize how much they've been given? Do people not realize the great gift of education that we in North America have been given? Have we all turned a blind eye to our neighbors who don't have the same opportunities as us? Shouldn't we do something meaningful with all that we've been given? (MORE than just providing for our family).
Am I totally off base here? What are your thoughts?
I think choosing a profession should encompass doing good and also our talents and interests (so maybe a profession as a celebrity chef would be morally superior to something that would on its face seem more altruistic for a person if they could really excel at it (thus inspiring other people, making $ to help other people that way, and doing what s/he loves). In many ways just being able to choose a profession is a sign of already having quite a lot-- options can be a luxury. I think those quotes about what you did not mattering are supposed to point to the idea that you shouldn't seek worldly acclaim or look down on "lowly" professions, not that someone equally suited to doing two things could choose the less altruistic option b/c they were just in it to make a lot of money and not be judged for that decision. But there are so many factors that we can never know about others' decisions that I don't think there's a way for us to say to someone that they shouldn't have chosen a given profession or that our choice is better.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think the second attitude you mention of only needing to tend to our family's needs being what life is all about is wrong-- we should try to reach beyond ourselves (and what better way to help kids learn something good than to show them that) but again, it's hard to know when people are barely keeping things together for themselves and their family. But I think the attitude is clearly wrong. My three cents. :)
We all have choices in life to be this/that we should reach beyond ourselves and help others yet many don't sad to say it's up to us all be the example
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