9th Mar - "What do you do?"



The conversation opener of the materialistic. Of the fake, of the capitalists, of the consumerists, of the plastics. Think about all those times in your life when you met somebody new. Be it on Tinder, or in a bar, at a housewarming, or a dinner party, or through a friend of a friend. You'll start with your name, as is customary. But the next question a person asks ought to act as a hazard light if they choose to venture down a certain path. 

Of course, what really matters, is YOU. Your personality, your hobbies, the things you enjoy, or stories you have to tell. Experiences you might be able to share, from travels you've encountered. So why, do so many choose to then ask... "And what do you do?". I can give you the simple answer here, and start listing my CV like a verbal LinkedIn profile, or perhaps, on account of your materialism, I'll make it hard for you, and respond that what I 'do', is support Arsenal football club. I enjoy long walks, cinema trips, listening to music, taking hot baths, and sampling new cultures. 




What I do, is cook, is clean, is always do my best to be the greatest Father I can be to my Sons. What I do, is enjoy spicy food, and the odd glass of bourbon or spiced rum. What I do, is relax by reading books, by writing poetry, expressing myself creatively through articles & reviews. I'll dabble in DJing via my decks, I'll pick up a PlayStation pad and indulge in an hour of 'FIFA'. I'll watch documentaries and listen to podcasts, once upon a time I was even on 'The X Factor' as part of a cheesey boyband who modelled themselves on 'Blue'. But you won't know any of that about me, if you ask... "What do you do?". Because despite futile attempts to subconsciously assess me based on how many zeroes are on the end of my meaningless piece of paper, distributed annually, I - like most of you - am only 1% of my profession. As a whole. Mr. Gable, the man, his legacy, and how people will remember him, is made up of how he acts when he's away from the laptop screen, not in front of it. 

My career is something I enjoy, in fact I have some really interesting stories to tell centred around it, I've been lucky enough to partake in 'work' via many of the experiences that others could only dream of. But, I'll tell you about that in my own time, if our conversation happens to reach that particular stem of flow, naturally. What I refuse to indulge in, is your desperate need to make an assumption on my overall character, based on how I answer such a question. For example, if I reply "Bin man", would you think less of me than if I reply "Doctor"? If you've just answered such a question (honestly) with a 'yes' in your mind, then you're exactly the type of person who asks "What do you do?". Let there be a lesson here for you, and your money-orientated ways. Next time you feel the urge to ask a new acquaintance such a probe, maybe swap it for the only one thing we should all be focused on...




... "Are you happy?"


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