Who Cares?

It was a typical Saturday night when I was drinking with some people close to me but maybe a little bit closer to my wife. A friend of mine was also with us. This friend, who happened to possess the innate ability of making people think he was the most important thing in the world, but also happened to be the one with the most complaints about life, asked for some opinion (Take note: aside from these traits, this person was really a very good pal of mine). He was taking the slack, he was supposed to start in a new job, got some trouble on the way, and got stuck at home – which coincidentally was the family house of his wife. In short, he was living with his in-laws, and he had no work in the meantime. What a begrudgingly terrible situation to run into! Or so he thought. Or so most would think.

The situation he was into pushed him to ask the inevitable question: “Ano ang mararamdaman mo kung wala kang trabaho at nakatira ka sa mga biyenan mo? Tama lang ba na tumulong ako sa mga gawaing-bahay, para hindi mapag-usapan ang kawalan ko ng trabaho ngayon?” I countered him by asking if he was not doing something to land another job. I asked him also, about the purpose behind why he was doing the chores around their house – was it just so this would ‘cover his unemployment’?

I did not want to give insights without relating personal experiences. So, I told him my case. I was not regularly employed. I was only writing, a career which was very satisfying but when done the ‘clean’ way was not very good to sustain a family. I started with barely $20 in a week, but now already averaged $50 weekly. People with traditional mindset would not believe how I earn, but I told my friend and every one around us, heck, I did not care. As long as I know I was doing something, even if I looked like a bum, even if I was just considered babysitting, I did not care. Well, of course it would change a lot of things if I was only pretending after all.

Going back to my friend’s dilemma, I honestly think that he was putting good efforts in seeking a job. Only, his case was very challenging at it. I told him that doing chores or anything would satisfy your ego or sense of self-worth only if you were aware of the real motive behind these activities. Para saan ba iyon? Para kanino ba? When you lose the self, the meaning is on a whole ‘nother level, so they claim.

Some care bears really care, after all.

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