August 2000
Beginner
260 pages
5h 7m
English
Content preview from Bringing Your Soul to Work
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7Finding Purpose in Work
A PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR announced a pop quiz consisting of one essay question. He wrote the question on the board: “Why?” The students wrote furiously for an hour and took their break. When they returned, the professor opened with the news that no one had passed the quiz. “The answer is, ‘Why not?’” Students reacted with a mixture of anger and curiosity, ranging from feeling tricked to “Of course!” In the ensuing discussion, however, they wrestled with issues of meaning and purpose in their lives. Why, for instance, do we get up in the morning? Why not? Why were they there in class, studying? What did they hope to do ...