Do You Know This Man
By
Katy Landless
When
I first learned of the concept alienation, a picture of a person came to
my mind. In fact, this person still comes to my mind. He is my own personal
image of alienation. This person is a worker who has a repetitious job,
a worker who does the same task over and over, every day and every week.
This worker that I envision works hard and works often. He, yes, my picture
is of a man although for no reason which I can defend, is bored with the
repetition because this work is not up to his potential. His work provides
him no rewards of equal value to him as a human being. His work does provide
him with time to think, more time than he wants, but it offers no occasion
for him to put his thoughts into practice. No one cares about his opinions
on how things should be run or how things could be better. In fact, if
his bosses could have it their way, he would not think on the job at all,
he is only supposed to work. To the rulers, thinking on the job may mean
that he will come up with better ideas than the ones in place. It may mean
that his thoughts could become a threat, they could some day be put into
action. He may even share his thoughts and someone around him may agree
and then their ideas gain strength and become more and more real to the
ones on top. This worker that I pictured may have had thoughts at one point
in time, but I am not sure because to see him, is to see a void. If he
thought, he may not now. If he thinks he does not bother to share. He works.
He works for little at a monotonous and strenuous job. He is thought of
by his bosses as a means of production, like a machine, like an ox. His
only reason for working is, for himself, to survive. His only reason for
working, to the world who owns him, is to benefit that world which he will
not know.
This
person has always made me sad. He hates his job, which for so many others
like him, is too much a part of his existence to ignore. He feels powerless
and unneeded. He is not quite sure however, if it is the work that he hates
or the fact that he is not valued, he is not equal - that makes him angry
and embarrassed. He feels as if he must tolerate his lot in life because
the system around him tells him he is replaceable and only needed to the
extent in which he completes his task. He hates his boss for recognizing
him only as a link in a monotonous and never ending chain. He despises
his peers who have allowed themselves to be overcome by this unjust system
and accept it without question and refuse to acknowledge that this is not
what life is for. He is frustrated that he is angry and no one else seems
to be - his peers are sheep and his bosses are power. He is confused at
the world for not being mad too.
This
man makes me sad and the world that created him makes me angry. I do not
feel pity for him because he has to work hard. I do not feel sorry for
him because he cannot afford riches. It upsets me that this man is disappointed
in himself for thinking, or at least thinking years ago, and allowing himself
to grow blank. It is sad that he is disappointed in himself because he
has given into the system. It is sad that he is disappointed in himself
because he has allowed what he knows is wrong to surround him and defeat
him. It angers me that alienation is so strong. It angers me that alienation
is such a part of our world that most people do not even know it exists.
Most people do not even have this man in their heads. Most people do not
know this man exists to even feel these emotions and it scares me that
too many people, if they knew of this man, would believe he deserves what
he gets. It scares me that as an educator in a so-called democracy, I could
become this man.
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