IN THE NAME OF ‘PASSION’

In our culture, many idealize passion. We see it as some lofty cure-all for most of the career choices. Movies, success stories and history all celebrate it as life’s ultimate goal, as the final solution for all of our pain and struggle. There come a myriad of work mantras that glorify passion, such as “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” or “All you need is passion.” But in today’s ever-dynamic labor market, we may have to reconsider the value of these perceptions: Is it really good for us to feel as if we aren’t working at all when we actually are?

If there is a list of reasons why these seemingly uplifting work quotes are pernicious advice, then their ‘affordability’ may top the list. Just as the saying goes: “The same fire that melts butter hardens the egg,” not members of the working class have the privilege, or the need to follow their passion. Some folks have no ambition other than fulfilling their obligation to pay the bills, to pay back student loans, or to cover the rent. Thus, we may get into pretty dangerous territory when we start placing subjective judgments on how ‘meaningful’ other people’s lives may or may not be. In addition, while most of us know that everyone possesses their own Personal Legends, which are the things they have always wanted to accomplish, millions of people still die before even knowing what their Personal Legends are. Therefore, if we insist that humans all have a pre-existing passion, and do nothing but scouring for that ‘passion’, high chances are we will end up lavishing before crossing out any goals on the bucket list. 

More importantly, the recurring emphasis on the need of ‘passion’ in work will also open the door for the exploitative mechanisms in employee management, whose ultimate goal is to extract labor’s maximum value at minimum cost. Superficially, those uplifting work mantras such as “Follow your passion” or “Find your calling” seem to urge people to ponder what it is they most enjoy doing and then turn that activity into a wage-generating enterprise. However, ironically, it is these mottos that reinforce the labor market where off-the-clock, underpaid, or unpaid labor is the new norm: content editors required to do the work of the laid-off photographers, PR staff expected to comment and share posts on weekends, teaching assistant demanded to correct students’ assignments and give weekly feedback on holidays. Nothing makes exploitation go down easier than convincing workers that they are doing what they love.

It should be no surprise, then, when unpaid interns increasingly abound in fields that are highly socially desirable, such as fashion, media, and education. These industries have long been accustomed to masses of employees willing to work for social currency instead of actual wages, for CV’s feel-good factors rather than material rewards. It would also be of no rare occurrence, of course, to witness a rise in employees having their work-life boundary blurred, and constantly multitasking, all in the name of ‘passion’. In the name of ‘passion’, these people are eventually deceived into viewing exploitation in a favorable light. It hides the fact that if we acknowledged all of our contributions as work, we could set appropriate limits for it, demanding fair compensation and humane schedules that allow for family and leisure time.

Above all, just as Carolyn Chen from CNN writes, “I certainly don’t want you to hate your job. Work is an important source of dignity and meaning for all of us,” I am not trying to deny the significance of passion in working; but to love smart in today’s work-obsessed world, it is critical to ask: ‘Will we become the one we really want to be when we love our work too much?’

Vocabularies:

Myriad /ˈmɪr.i.əd/ (n.): a very large number of something

Perceptions /pəˈsep.ʃən/ (n.):  a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem

Pernicious /pɚˈnɪʃ.əs/ (a.): having a very harmful effect or influence

Obligation /ˌɑː.bləˈɡeɪ.ʃən/ (n.): the fact that you are obliged to do something

Subjective  /səbˈdʒek.tɪv/ (a.): influenced by or based on personal beliefs or feelings, rather than based on facts

Judgments /ˈdʒʌdʒ.mənt/ (n.): the ability to form valuable opinions and make good decisions

Accomplish /əˈkɑːm.plɪʃ/ (v.): to finish something successfully or to achieve something

Lavish /ˈlæv.ɪʃ/ (a.): spending, giving, or using more than is necessary or reasonable; more than enough

Bucket list: a list of the things that a person would like to do or achieve before they die

Exploitative  /ɪkˈsplɔɪ.t̬ə.t̬ɪv/ (a.): using someone unfairly for your own advantage

Abound /əˈbaʊnd/ (v.): to exist in large numbers