The Vocation: The divine alternative to jobs, careers and anti-work lifestyles

Part one of our eight week introduction to the 'Vocation and sacred work'

Meaningless jobs cause humans to suffer. By erasing them and ensuring basic needs are met we would immediately better life on earth. The ancient philosophers argue about the good life and what it contains, but any modern person can see that jobs which decay the soul have no place in our future.

But what’s the alternative?

Jobs provide pain, careers focus on worldly pursuits ignoring transcendence and anti-work movements emphasise short-term pleasure which forgets the individual’s desire for growth. All the alternatives we are presented with fall short of the original problem; meaninglessness.

When St. Francis of Assisi decided to give up all of his material belongings to pursue his calling, we peer into the meaningful. He was meant for more as are all humans. Whether one affiliates with the religious or not, all are called to do sacred work in this world. We all have a vocation.

What is a vocation?

The vocation is a calling from the sacred and guides an individual’s path. The word vocation has Latin roots, coming from the word ‘vocare’, meaning to be called or be summoned. In life we are all called and summoned. Presented with a choice; to follow that calling or to ignore it. When one follows this calling a number of experiences occur.

I.
First, the individual is self-sanctified. In walking their path and doing the work they’re meant to do, they erase the false sides of themselves and emerge as their core truth made visible. The work they do is pure and thereby purifies them in the process. We see this in Paul Mescal’s performance in the film History of Sound which was raw, intimate, beautiful. Mescal was cleansed through accepting the role itself and in a theatre full of tears, so was the audience.

II.
Second, one does great works when they pursue their vocation. The work is naturally elevated as it is for a higher reason. Beyond survival, money, status and worldly accolades, when the work one does is seen through the divine, how can it not break through ceilings and seek the heavens? We need only ask the ancient Romans who sculpted their statues as if the Gods could inhabit them to understand why such care was taken with each chisel and why we as tourists continue to visit hundreds of years later.

III.
Third, humanity is bettered when we pursue our calling. All those who are doing work that is not meaningful, when confronted with the vocation, have to deal with the idea that the world is a worse place because of it. The Folklorist who begins researching the project they’ve been dreaming about starting, comparing the similarities between Samoan and Irish beliefs, has the opportunity to remind others about the cross-cultural similarities that weave in and out of every one of us on earth. Both preserving cherished differences and celebrating human sameness.

IIII.
Fourth, a life of vocation adorns the human spirit. Each and every one of us has the ability to affect those who come after us in ways we cannot comprehend. By doing our work truly and completely, we pass on tangible works such as furniture crafted with care and books filled with honesty and attention. We also pass on the spirit of our time – the feelings, moods, expressions that we participate in. Travel to the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi and look upon Giotto’s Ecstasy of St. Francis and witness how the human spirit can be adorned beyond death, in Giotto’s painting and in Franci’s personhood.

With this knowledge we can define the vocation as the poetic truth that guides an individual’s path for the purpose of self-sanctification, great works, bettering humanity’s mortal existence and adorning the human spirit.

Every human on earth has a vocation and it is their life task. One’s life works, big and small, are an expression of the path one travels in order to fulfil the calling. Whilst meaningless jobs cause humans to suffer, the vocation explains that suffering is not the point. That the calling is the point and if we do have to suffer along the way, we accept it because it is worth it.

In other words, the vocation answers the meaningless with meaning itself.

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WE CAN HELP YOU FIND YOUR CALLING

Our Career Archetypes Course leads students through an intensive process that teaches them how to discover their unique strengths, talents, passions, dreams, interests and ultimately, their unique archetypal work expression (the Career Archetype). The Career Archetype is used to help students discover and move towards their vocation. In our course we also touch on money—as getting paid for the sacred work you were born to do is important in the world we live in.

Our process does not use AI, it is human focused, as we believe in the ability of the raw human mind.

No AI or Generative AI was used throughout the process of creating this article.