Would Exchange of Occupation Bring Happiness?

Would Exchange of Occupation Bring Happiness? By Dr. M. C. Merrill, Dean of the College of Applied Science, Brighasm Young University In the shadow of the famous Mitchell Tower of the Uni- versity of Chicago there daily stands a little old man who sells popcorn from his cart to the students and passersby. He has been engaged in that work and in that place for years. I never see him but I am reminded by some aspects of his appearance of Dr. Harry Pratt Judson, the President of the University of Chicago. And often do I ponder on the difference in the work of the two men. And I ponder on the question whether each of those men, as he becomes beset with the difficulties and dis- couragement of his particular work would not like to exchange places with the other. Or possibly they belong to that limited number of people who are absolutely contented with their work. But in the minds of the overwhelming majority of people, we are told, there lurks the envious idea that the other fellow's occupation is so much easier and so much, more desirable and remunerative than our own; we consider that if we were "in his shoes" we could be so much happier than we are at pres- ent that we want to exchange places with him. Thus the doctor making his urgent night call to the distant village through the cold, and rain and mud, envies the lawyer who can sit in his comfortable office and do his work. The lawyer, on the other hand, who is grinding away over page after page and volume after volume in his hot, stuffy office longs for a little relaxation from the continuous grind and wishes he were a doctor so he could get out in the big outdoors more. The school teacher on his meager salary with his class work by day and his studies and examination papers by night wishes he were a banker surrrounded by money all the time with office hours from 9:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. as he sees in- dicated on the door of the bank building. The banker, face to face with the stern realities and difficulties of financial life re- grets that he did not become a school teacher, and deal in lofty ideals rather than in base gold. The farmer drudging around in the rain and mud of winter or the blistering heat of summer from daylight till dark, milking untidy cows morning and night, Sundays, holidays, and all the year round, having his crops

60 IMPROVEMENT ERA destroyed by insects, drouth or hail, and always in debt, yearns in his soul to change places with the business man in the city who wears a white collar, shining shoes, and a neat, freshly- pressed suit of clothes as he goes to his office or store at 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning and leaves at 5 or 6 to play tennis or golf, or go for a pleasant evening ride with his family in his auto; who works by day in a comfortable office or store away from the sun, wind, cold, and rain and piles up his fortune. Then there is the business man, tired and worn and worried by the "hard times" and slack business, with notes to meet at the bank; with waning appetite, and nerves out of repair so he can't sleep well at night, cooped up in a stuffy office or store, longing for the independence and freedom and health of the farmer's life in beautiful contact with nature where he is "mon- arch of all he surveys" — of his flocks, and herds, and crops of golden grain, saccharine beet, or luscious fruit. The worker in the shop or factory in the grimy toil of his daily life wishes that fate had made him the manager or president of the company. In his office sits the manager, burdened with the weight of heavy responsibility, envying the care-free life of the employee under him. Most small boys living near the railroad consider the ideal life to be that of a locomotive engineer. And how many locomotive engineers as they drive their hot, greasy, noisy agents of service forward over the monotonous twin rails yearn for the freedom of boyhood in the old swimming pool. And so the world goes. What can be done about it? Is there any recipe for increasing contentment and lessening envy in the world? What is the relation between envious discontent and progressive dissatisfaction? For the young man looking to his future and the older man in the midst of his work, what should their attitude be? Both desire success. How may they achieve it? The "good old book" gives us three outstanding things to do by way of commandment or injunction — love God with aF our hearts, love our fellow men, and seek first the Kingdom of God and all things else shall be added. In his nfotable book on Religion and Business, the famous business statistician, Roger W. Babson, repeatedly emphasizes these three laws in his theme that religion is the vital necessity of the world today, if we are to eliminate industrial and political warfare, increase produc- tion, make prosperity universal, build up the health of the peo- ple of the world and arrive at the goal of health, happiness, and prosperity for all. He says we are all working at present on the average at only 20 per cent efficiency. By truly living the Chris- tian life he maintains we should be able to increase our effi-

WOULD EXCHANGE OF OCCUPATION BRING HAPPINESS 61 ciency overwhelmingly. In other words, to be efficient, live right by thinking and acting right. The fact of the matter is that in every occupation there are some disagreeable features. Just as perfection among men is not found on the earth, so perfection among occupations is likewise not present. The financially poor often think, that wealth would make them happy and that money would be a panacea for all their troubles. Yet the palatial home is, quite as likely to harbor unhappiness and to be fermenting with family dissension as is the humble abode. Though one's ocupation is by no means the only factor to be considered as the source of his happiness, yet it is of so much importance that every effort should be exerted to prevent becoming a "round peg! in a square hole." The time to think seriously of avoiding that unhappy condition is in youth. Young men and women who are planning their future should make an exceedingly careful' inventory of their likes and dis- likes, their aptitude, their physical and mental characteristics, their spiritual strength or limitations, their capacity, their na- tural inclinations, the status of their health, the requirements for the contemplated line of work during life and many other things — all with the view of determining just how they with their capacity, endowments, abilities, and characteristics can best render service in greatest quantity and of best quality with the maximum of contentment during their brief sojourn in the work fields of life. Careful' preparation should then be made for the particular work to which they are best adapted and in which they can render the highest service. And in guiding young people in their choice and helping them to prepare for their life's work lie both the function and the golden opportu- nity of colleges and universities. But even after getting into the work for which one seems best suited there should be no lazy relaxation and harmful self-satisfaction that manifests itself in the deepening of the rut into which one is so prone to get. There should be continual striving for betterment. One may find general contentment in his work, and yet be stirred by a proper feeling of dissatis- faction in that he wants to do better and be better than ever before. In other words, he wants to be progressive. Where the true values in life are recognized to rest in personality and service and not in safety deposit vaults, there will come the realization, of greater happiness in our work, whatever it may be, if we have aimed to choose it wisely and then try to do it well. The right attitude toward God, our fellowmen, and our work will surely lead us toward that realization. Provo, Utah