The immediate mention of “work” tends to elicit groans, evoking images of long nights hunched over a computer, furiously typing away. Quite on the contrary, the word “relax” causes a pleasant sigh, evoking images of beaches swaying with palm trees.

The distinction, however, is entirely arbitrary. The negative connotation of “work” has been imposed by the false assumption that work must be dreadful, that somehow, work relates to tasks not of our own choosing. Sure, there may be mandatory schoolwork or a job that must be done. However, work can also take other forms that are not at all dreadful.

Consider work to be a form of enjoyable discovery. For all of the curiosities that seep into our minds, we give ourselves the choice whether to explore them further or not. Ideally, we explore them all and enrich our lives with knowledge that excites us. Perhaps we can research the etymology of our favorite words, and inhale in awe when we realize that the word “perhaps” originated in the 1520’s. (No worries, though, Chaucer was able to use the word “perchance,” which originated in the mid-14^th century.)

All of these personal discoveries can be considered work. Yet with this form of work, we absorb knowledge that excites us, and work is not deemed tedious or tiresome. There is no longer a need to “relax.” Relaxing would merely be an afterthought. If we were to weigh exploring the delicate touches of Debussy with watching a movie with action heroes being blown up, Debussy would inevitably win over. The simple rationale behind such a decision rests in the fact that the movie would not enrich our life with any profound knowledge.

As humans we should embrace “work” as a way to enhance our lives by understanding more of the world around us. Work is not confined to schoolwork by any means. Work extends to anything that fascinates us. Ultimately, work itself will be perceived as relaxing. There will no longer be a separation between “work” and “relax.”

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Wayne Thallander

Sarah Bai, senior