Book Review: “Un-jobbing: The Adult Liberation Handbook”

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I found this book by Michael Fogler at the library, apparently much read, as the pages were very dogeared.  It was an easy read, a rather short little book that encourages the questions of why we work, whether or not we have to work, and how working impacts our lives, our environment, and our economy.

Much of it, I have already contemplated or learned about (like the fact that the law to legalize income tax was not fully ratified and therefore…well, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions).  What was new and what I really liked was the “The Green Triangle”, first introduced by author Ernest Callenbach.  Quoting Fogler:

“The three points of the triangle are called MONEY, HEALTH, and ENVIRONMENT…  Any time you do something beneficial for one of the points of the triangle, you will almost invariably do something beneficial for the other two…  The converse  of the above is also true.  Any time you do something that adversely effects one of the points of the triangle, it is very likely that the other two points will be adversely effected also.”

He goes on to suggest that a fourth point be added, COMMUNITY, and I would agree, since the reality is that community is much more important for our individual surviaval than our “American rugged individualism” point of view lends us to believe.

Fogler tackles the idea of Higher Income vs. Lower Expenses, which leads to the idea that if you have lower expenses, you don’t have to work as much (or at all, depending on your current financial situation).  This is very much the approach that I’ve tried to take with our expenses (although the food budget does need some attention!).

Nate and I have been talking a lot about his working less.  He’s practically a stranger to Seth now – just the other day I returned from the library to a very distraught Seth who had just woken up from his nap with Mommy nowhere to be found, and refusing the comfort of Daddy’s arms (fortunately, I arrived just in time because, in Nate’s words, “it was about to get ugly”).  So, I’ve decided (although I’ve not told Nate yet) to tweak the budget as far as it can get tweaked, while he suggests to his boss that he can do the same amount of work in 5-6 hours a day, instead of 8.

The main theme, I think, is that everyone benefits when they put their hands to something in their heart.  In other words, do what they love.  When I think about getting a job (because I occasionally freak out about how much debt we have and want to make it go away), I become stressed out.  Lately, I’ve been looking for something that would make me want to stay for longer than a month (after being in the Navy and not being able to quit, I take my ability to quit anything I don’t like VERY seriously).  I refuse to spend my energy doing something I don’t like and that doesn’t match my values (I will never work at Starbucks again!).  Some people might point out that I “have the most important job in the world” – that being a mother – but I wouldn’t insult myself and mothers around the world by using the word “job” to define what we do.  It’s work, meaningful, valuable work, and I don’t mind doing it for free.

Of course, one has to eat, be clothed, and sheltered.  Fogler gives examples of individuals (including himself) who have figured out a way to do what they love without jobs, and have all their needs fulfilled.

If anything, “Un-jobbing” does give you plenty to think about – how to cut expenses, how to live your values, how to find something you really love.  As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

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