GRUNT: THE RISE AND FALL (AND RISE AGAIN?) OF AN AMERICAN WORKING CLASS STIFF

There is another four-letter word associated with work: life. Beyond providing us with a means to live and survive it can be a key, as Freud noted, to self-esteem, self-identity and how we value life. Now, "Dr. Siggie" nor I believe that work can only be satisfying if you make a ton of money or become famous and powerful. Rather, what "Herr Doktor" was getting at, I believe, was do you love what you do to earn a living? If so, then you've achieved one of the key components of wellbeing. But this philosophical tenet raises a basic question: If you love your work is it really work? An equally troubling question: Conversely, for those people who dislike their jobs, are they justified in disliking life and themselves?