a modern job story
act 1: the confrontation, or lack thereof
how do i explain to them that i see no point in explaining myself when i am up against authority that does what they want, that any suggestion i bring up will be glossed over and dismissed for a feckle$$ idea exempt from any and all criticisms anyway?
act 2: anger with nowhere to go
i have been determined to not talk about ai on this blog but i am so so fed up with living in a contradiction that is constantly pulling my actions and morals towards opposite poles
i cannot stand ai but i use it every business day
i do not agree with the idea that every step and process must be optimized and automated but i am cornered into using robot garbage 1 and robot trash 2
i do not give a damn about work but i have to feign interest and play a character who follows a script littered with words made up of dead weight like friction and bandwidth and initiative and great!
i am sure i'm not alone in my sentiment, even amongst my coworkers, but jesus i am astounded at how much they outwardly let work rule their lives. i swear they dream of coming up with the most efficient llm prompt and are jolted awake right into their computer chairs before their alarm sounds.
act 3: snapping back to reality
my work does not define me
my contributions to a company that puts profits above my well-being does not care about me and therefore does not define me
a company that assembles their workforce to crunch the numbers on who's not using their tools enough, not "optimizing" their work with ai enough, not "pushing back" on decisions that already have a predetermined ending enough, does not care about me and therefore does not define me
a company that creates work and manufactures urgency to feed the illusion that they are the "#1" innovators in their category does not care about quality thus does not care about me and does not define me
my work does not care about me and therefore does not define me
act 4: the exhale
i wake up without a knot in my stomach. i am slowly accepting days that unravel on their own without a schedule. sometimes my stomach will drop at the sudden thought i have missed something urgent, but i remember i am free. i know this is only temporary but i am grateful and savoring it for the time being!