Cognitive Dissonance at Work

What if your job is to conquer 3rd world problems globally, yet you walk by the same homeless guy every day who’s camped outside your local (U.S.) office? It’s a clear reminder that you have your very own 3rd world problems at home, but the minute you enter the safe haven of a beautifully and expensively designed office structure that hints at the perfect life at work you have to force yourself to let go of the sight and scent of that homeless person. Do you encounter cognitive dissonance? Does it make you love what you do or hate it? How do you manage your energy?

This happened to a friend of mine. She said that it was a horrible place to work. Somehow it was chaos and everyone was unhappy. Although it was only implied, more often than not, the conversations were counter-productive.

It seems that it was (for her) a hollow means to an impactful end, creating a greater good on a global level. But what about each and every person’s life in and around that office building? Do their lives matter as much?

In this case, should we expect that the journey to global happiness is work-place hell?

Food for thought.

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