Not entirely sure if this is the right place to post this, but I could use some insight.
I'm beginning to attempt a lifestyle change for myself and my family. I've been reading more about minimalism and a few books on meditation to help my mental state. But, despite the idea that simplicity is a mind-state, I still cannot come to terms with some of the destructive things society and, especially, my work culture, advocate.
I've been a teacher for six years. Despite some meaningful connections, most of my job feels virtually no different than any other corporate position. Schools, even public schools, feel like they're run like a factory. The admin is concerned with "student output" and data analysis. I guess the frustrating part of the position is the facade of what it is portrayed to be. Schools do have selfless public servants, but I feel like they are used as cogs in a machine. I was once asked by a seasoned teacher how I felt about my job and I said it is mostly a comfortable battle I handle every day, but if I really reflect on what I do it is abject misery. Essentially, I feel like I don't promote the lifestyle I want kids to have. I am expected to teach them to conform, meet expectations, take tests, become numerical values, etc. They're [the kids] used just to gather data to keep the system running. It isn't really the life I want, but I also think it is the life most people have. It is just entirely frustrating to think most people work 40+ hrs. a week to keep a system running.
Perhaps a job change would help me live a more fulfilled, simpler life? I'm not sure. I do know I've become more isolated, more secluded when I'm not working. Being away from people is actually better because I am always performing, in some capacity, at work. I suffer from "social exhaustion" (if that's a thing) and basically retreat to my family once it's all said and done. I sometimes wonder if migrating to a new position would allay some of my concerns, but I sometimes think this is how things are across the board.
Submitted January 31, 2019 at 06:48PM by Chewdacca http://bit.ly/2SggS8W
