Passionate Anti-Cynicism

I was watching a video this morning from Billy Carson on the future impact of AI. Many people are saying AI will decimate jobs, and if people can't earn money, how will they live? Some potential solutions include an automation tax or universal basic income.

I think a larger issue than a loss of income is a loss of purpose. There's something Billy said in the video that struck me. Companies don't pay you, clients do. And if you are passionate about meeting client needs, you won't need to worry about money.

I think passion is a big crisis in our culture, even before the advent of AI. I work with a bunch of engineers that are cynical and miserable about their jobs. Here they've spent their college years getting trained for a few decades of work and now they're burnt out. Overworked. Swamped in beauracracy. Jaded towards the future.

I get there from time to time, too. I get frustrated by silly paperwork that appears to waste time. I don't like the constant pressure to deliver more, faster, cheaper. It can feel like working for an entitled teenager who doesn't appreciate all you do for them.

I also learned that the stress doesn't come from the job, but from the narrative we tell ourselves about the job. I remember reading a quote: If you can't change your job, change your job. Meaning, if you can't control certain aspects of your tasks and are miserable, find another job. I would also add: If you can't change your job, change how you think about your job.

Part of my work involves what I call "meta-work." Not only do I write code and fix bugs, I also communicate about the code I write and the bugs I fix. This comes in the form of work tickets. There are instances where a 2-minute fix requires two hours of paperwork to be filled out. I can get grumpy about it and wring my hands over how inefficient this is or I can change my narrative. I can tell myself the paperwork is helping my managers understand what's going on so they can make better decisions that will effect the long term running of the department.

I see part of my life's purpose as bringing order to chaos and paperwork is a form of order. If I can help ease concerns by providing clear documentation, I call that a win.

Granted, I'm saying all this while being two and a half weeks into my sabbatical. Ask me six months from now if I still hold the same view. What I do know is cynicism doesn't feel nice, and I'd prefer to think in ways that avoid being such.

For our own sanity, let's be passionately anti-cynical.

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