Personal sacrifice vs. personal fulfillment

from JoeUser Forums
Would you be willing to do something very unsatisfying (for example, cleaning toilets) for five years if you were certain that the experience would afterwards bring you a deep sense of personal fulfillment for the rest of your life?

I think I would, depending, of course, on what the task was I was doing. I think that many people in this world go to work in very unsatisfying, often unpleasant jobs every day - basically going through the motions just to earn a living to support themselves and their families. And that is without the promise of anything in the future. So who wouldn't do something similar for five years knowing there was a personal fulfillment at the end?
philosophy
3,627 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't think it is possible to do something unsatisfying that would be personally unfulfilling; I think this question is a contradiction. For instance, even when I have to do the dishes at my home (which I don't always like to do), doing this task always winds up being satisfying and fulfilling because it winds up relaxing me and I am happy when I am finished that there is no longer a mess.

On the other hand, doing something unsatisfying, like teaching kindergarten, would never be personally fulfilling; I would hate every minute of it and feel I was wasting my time throughout (even though others may find it satisfying and fulfilling). I don't extrapolate my feelings; I think only those who lie to themselves by making up some reason why the dissatisfying task is ultimately good can think your proposition is even possible.

Nevertheless, can you give any examples of unsatisfying tasks that are or could be personally fulfilling?
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
So even if you hated every minute of teaching kindergarten, you would not feel somewhat fulfilled later on when the children actually learned something OR when one of them (or more) came back years later and said what an impact you made on their lives?

Another instance...I have a friend who dislikes a large majority of her job because it involves government subsidies and she sees a lot of people taking advantage of the system. But the time it is personally satisfying to her is when a subsidy is provided to someone who truly needs it and had no other place to turn.
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hmph. Okay then. That's a rather interesting response, but I respect your position and thank you for your reply.