So, here we are—a week out from graduation and something’s gnawing at me, a kind of existential itch I didn’t expect. Don’t get me wrong, graduating is a monumental achievement, but the afterglow has this strange way of making your spirit long for more. It’s like a kind of spiritual hunger, you know?

We’ve all been there, right? Fantasizing about how life would be post-college, daydreaming of travel, play, and just “living life” to the fullest. But now that I’m here, I get it. I finally understand the allure of being a workaholic, the irresistible pull of being constantly immersed in labor. There’s a raw, untamed beauty in striving towards a purpose that gives you a kind of life that leisure could never match. It’s not the “grass is greener on the other side” crap; it’s something far more profound.

Ever read any Sartre? He talks about this idea that we’re condemned to be free, that with this freedom comes the crushing responsibility to construct our own essence. You might ask, “How does this connect to the 9-to-5 grind?” Well, it’s like this: work becomes this canvas where you paint your own essence, where you find purpose in the mundane and the magnificent alike.

Remember that Gandhi quote about finding yourself through serving others? Man, that hits differently now. Work is not just a paycheck or a status symbol; it’s a philosophical pursuit, a pathway to a more profound sense of self. When you work, you’re not just serving a company or a goal; you’re serving your own existential journey.

And here’s where it gets wild: when work morphs into this conduit for self-discovery and higher meaning, it stops being work. It becomes play, a form of existential joy that transcends the banality of everyday life. No longer a mere chore, labor becomes an act of pure, ecstatic being.

I get it now. This whole thing about working your life away isn’t really about neglecting life at all. It’s about embracing it on a level that perhaps, just maybe, is the secret to making sense of this chaotic, absurd existence we find ourselves in. To work is to play, to play is to be, and to be is the ultimate goal of this whole crazy ride. And, man, what a ride it’s turning out to be.