Formerly men were made slaves under physical compulsion; now they are enslaved by the temptation of money and of the luxuries that money can buy. — Mahatma Gandhi
Some people like things to be simply good or bad, black and white, with no gray-scale or ambivalence.
I find paradox both true to real life and a prod to deep thinking.
For example—work.
Humans have always had to work. My dad picked up a phrase from his time in the Army in the Philippines at the conclusion of World War II. He took the phrase to mean if you don’t work you don’t eat. So from the time humans began life on earth, they’ve had to hunt and gather.
Societies grew larger and more complex. Eventually a stronger tribe would conquer another tribe and force people to do their work—slavery.
Many philosophers have thought about modern society concluding that many of us are voluntarily enslaved because we want more. TV came along and showed us middle class and upper middle class lives. We wanted more stuff like we saw on those programs. We worked longer hours. Both men and women went off to work in order to acquire more stuff.
On the other hand—the paradox—work can also be our creative outlet. The downside of my career resulted from working for many companies that went out of business. The upside was that almost every new position I found allowed for great creativity. Often I was the first in the position and got to forge the meaning of the position.
How do you choose your work?
Do you suffer long hours and abusive bosses in exchange for a salary and the pursuit of luxuries?
Do you find work that allows great creativity and satisfaction? Does it allow you to live where you’d like?
If you are in the first group, I encourage you to start looking for something in the second.
Faith Venture 
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