EPISODE · Dec 10, 2010 · 8 MIN
Buddhanomics: Job Search
from TREELEAF ZENDO PODCAST · host Treeleaf Zendo
So many folks are losing their jobs these days, sometimes after many years of loyal and hard work at a business. Almost nothing more to do but let it go, move on, trying to keep a roof over our family's head. When I was a kid, my own father went through a hard bankruptcy after many years of being the president of his own small company making furniture. Leon was not a "Buddhist" by any means, but still I would call him one of those "naturally Zen" folks. I recall how, when he lost the business, he sat in front of the window for a couple of weeks, depressed and not shaving, wondering where to go from here. But, after a few days of that, he picked himself up and found himself a job as a salesman in a discount department store, working for commission and for somebody else. Most importantly, he never lost his humor for long, and kept a "that's just the breaks, we still have each other" attitude which I will never forget. And though he was now not the "boss" but working at a job he did not choose, he did it diligently, optimistically and with great energy. In fact, he kept at it, going onto the sales floor each day (with co-workers 50 years younger), until he was 77 years old ... all so his family had bread and I could get through school. Fortunately, too, he never lived "rich" even when times were good, always having the same small house and same plain car. In that way, the "ups" and "downs" were never too much of a fall. In times like these, there are some good lessons there. Today’s Sit-A-Long video follows at this link. Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended. Visit the Forum for this topic!
What this episode covers
So many folks are losing their jobs these days, sometimes after many years of loyal and hard work at a business. Almost nothing more to do but let it go, move on, trying to keep a roof over our family's head. When I was a kid, my own father went through a hard bankruptcy after many years of being the president of his own small company making furniture. Leon was not a "Buddhist" by any means, but still I would call him one of those "naturally Zen" folks. I recall how, when he lost the business, he sat in front of the window for a couple of weeks, depressed and not shaving, wondering where to go from here. But, after a few days of that, he picked himself up and found himself a job as a salesman in a discount department store, working for commission and for somebody else. Most importantly, he never lost his humor for long, and kept a "that's just the breaks, we still have each other" attitude which I will never forget. And though he was now not the "boss" but working at a job he did not choose, he did it diligently, optimistically and with great energy. In fact, he kept at it, going onto the sales floor each day (with co-workers 50 years younger), until he was 77 years old ... all so his family had bread and I could get through school. Fortunately, too, he never lived "rich" even when times were good, always having the same small house and same plain car. In that way, the "ups" and "downs" were never too much of a fall. In times like these, there are some good lessons there. Today’s Sit-A-Long video follows at this link. Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended. Visit the Forum for this topic!
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Buddhanomics: Job Search
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