In my Comparative Studies class about the American Identity I wrote and essay comparing the work ethic described by Kathi Weeks to the movie The Pursuit of Happiness. Throughout this essay I described how motives for working hard are not always for money and that humans do not live to work, they work to live.
The movie I wrote about described the life of a man and his 5 year old son as they tried to survive with little to no money. The man worked relentlessly in order to provide for his son. While he tried to earn a job through his internship, the man had small efforts of help from his community to keep him and his on his feet. This relates to the community pillar. In my essay I described how having a community to rely on can help make these tough times easier.
The main point of the essay was to show that peoples’ motives for work usually come from trying to support a family, or personal community. When people have a supportive community they have the extra help and support needed to succeed in life, especially when working through tough situations.
This essay helped me step back and look at motives and reason why people behave the way that they do when it comes to work. To further this thought, in the future I plan to continue trying to understand why people behave the way that they do. This will hopefully avoid judgements and create a more understanding environment in my life and others.