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author

I should have added that during Convid, I was put to the test again.

I chose to give up my face painting business rather than adhere to all the mask protocol the govt were pushing. To me wearing masks just did not marry well with the atmosphere of fun I wanted to cultivate, aside from the fact I thought it unnecessary.

I wanted to spread joy, not fear.

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I’m grateful that the job I have aligns with said personal values, and actually this is the case for the last 30 years. Not the best paid jobs, but some of the most rewarding as I see the genuine positive outcomes of helping people. Can’t ‘win’ every time, but can always leave a fellow human in a better place, and I sleep well at night for it. I’ll never be rich, but I have a clear conscience on the work front 🥰

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author

Good for you. Yes there are some awful jobs out there, many far worse than those I describe. Those that involve killing for example.

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Exactly. The only power we have over the monsters is DESISTANCE. We don't NEED to contribute our talents and skills to assist an evil purpose. Fighting strengthens the monsters.

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author

We must withhold our skills and have no part in what we despise. And that takes massive strength of character and an ability to endure uncertainty.

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Ah this is so poignant and powerful Julie. Almost on a daily basis now I find myself saying ‘how can they sleep at night doing the job they do now?’ Police, the medical profession, politicians and especially journalists. In a way I’m glad I was out of education by 2020. I wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes because I know I could not sell my soul for a salary.

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author

I know. It’s horrible what is going on. So many immoral things. And people so often feel they have no choice. But we always have a choice. Yea there may be hardship involved but there’s absolutely a choice.

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Brilliantly done. I did telemarketing once and I didn't have the heart for it, and I never did sales because I don't want to be sold to. This story really shows your heart and how you've learned to listen to it.

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author

Thank you. I think the older we get, the louder our conscience becomes. You feel your way and develop a strong sense of right and wrong.

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A very late comment as I've had to find your substack, even though I'm subscribed! Have recieved no notifications at all. Suddenly thought that I've missed your beautiful poems.

Understand how you felt in this post. So glad I'm retired and am under no pressure to take anything in order to earn a living.

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author

Thank you. I’ve not written anything in weeks, have just felt blocked, nothing to say. That’s probably why you didn’t get any notifications. Am working on an update. I appreciate you being here. Your comment made me smile xx

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I’ve been in a similar position. I have to own that I sold a showhome price set of windows and doors to someone with cancer. For anyone that doesn’t know ‘showhome price’ is the non discounted price. So if you say it’s too much, then they start discounting it. You can get them to what they classify as ‘rock bottom’ where they’ll cover all their costs and make a minimum profit. I’ve done the healing work around that. It was actually my last sale, I’d been hospitalised and the boss thought the best way to get me back was to tempt me with this job. He actually tried to make me feel guilty for saying I wasn’t coming back until I was ready. Because I went for this job only. I actually felt so poorly in that appointment. I was having to ‘hold’ myself up. The universe shows us what we need. 💜

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author

❤️

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I’ve ofteed been criticized by family and others for not having a “real” job as I brought joy to my audiences. That’s what I like best about what I do.

Here in the United States doctors are forced by the government to see a multitude of patients each day in order to qualify for Medicare. It has forced many doctors out of the business because they just ethically and physically I cannot do it. And being a physician was once a desired career. Helping people being the goal.

I am sorry Kellar jobs which major morally uncomfortable. Bless your heart. You are a good person ✨💖🤗

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author

Yes our healthcare system here is dogged by a culture of bribery which means it can no longer be trusted to deliver.

And not having a ‘real’ job is the aim of most people. To find true joy in what they do is what we should all aspire to.

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It used to not be part of the system. We had lunch our retired dentist and he and his wife are talking about the pressure now put on the metal community. They are so happy they are retired. He was mentioning that most doctors now have to work for a conglomerate instead of having their own private office. Here in the US —if you can afford it, seeking a concierge doctor is one alternatives. And I remember when I was a kid few people have insurance. You just went to the doctor and ask the middle class citizen you could pay for it.

I’ve been charmed and fortunate. 🙏✨

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author

How everything changes, hey my friend? :)

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And slowly like a cooked frog. The new medical paradigm is completely unrecognizable if you were to compare it to the one back in the 60s. Or even the 90s. For that matter even the 2000s.

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my own path

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author

As it should be🙌

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The only time I felt I had the right job, but the wrong employer was when I was doing HVAC work. I worked hard getting people systems up and running by either repairing them or of replacing. It got to me when one day it was hot, and a lady called for a repair. I got to her house and the repair was so simple I just charged her the service call. A caterpillar had gotten caught in a contact and was causing it not to connect. My next stop was his parents, where I had to do a lengthy repair when I finished, I left and went back to the office. I turned in my receipts and after all the work I had done that day I got chewed out for just charging a service call on one and no receipt his parents, I thought, at first, he needed a receipt for tax reasons on his parents but no, he called them and told them how much their bill was. I decided I might need to find another place.

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author

A caterpillar. Guess it has no chance of becoming a butterfly in there, eh? Yikes!

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Yes Julie you can choose who you are and your story is so good we are learning about ourselves every day.Yes it's good to have empathy for others.Its good to go to bed with a clear conscience.We can only deal with whats given to us and life is a challenge of survival.Thanks Julie it's good you are a kind person.💐😊♥️x

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author

I try but aren’t we all human, born to make mistakes n all that. All we can do is try and learn from them, hey? X

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founding

Well said. It pains me that, in my line of work, there seem to be less and less people coming through who share the same value base as me. The way public services are stripped of the necessary resources makes it harder to embody caring for others, even when you are “doing your best”. I was tickled by the image of Mr Tumnus letting out a long sigh and telling himself he feels like an absolute cunt.

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author

Well it’s all about how people are trained isn’t it? Spike the education system and you naturally affect the output. This is what we are seeing come to fruition now, sadly. We have to do what we can see r more often than not, not do them.

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Julie this is so very relevant. It was Hannah Arendt who wrote ‘The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil’. The ones who follow orders. Do a good job for the boss. Stop thinking for themselves. Then one day, they wake up and recognise the fuckery they’ve helped create. Here’s to more awakenings and more of us choosing the path that resonates morally. ❤️

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author

So true. Hindsight and all that. They look back and see their part, what they helped create or sustain.

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❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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I was lucky during 'covid'... I work for myself so didn't have to do anything I didn't want to.

But if I were still teaching, I'd have been sacked by now for refusing to push the things the Dept of Education insists on.

It's a tough one...when you need to put a roof over your family's head and food on the table, do you go against your principles or capitulate?

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author

This is true and it’s a much tougher choice for those who have a family to support and are the only breadwinner.

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Totally resonates with me too. Been there and done that. It’s the name of the game, we were born into it.

Covid brought it to most people’s consciousness and conscience. To learn the lesson makes it worthwhile- so we have to forgive ourselves and forgive others.

Start anew with these insights and build a better world. One where there is collaboration instead of competition and everyone is in service to their communities helping them grow and go from strength to strength where everyone prospers.

We’ve learned so much over the last 5 years. It’s almost time to put it behind us and move forward forgiving all, like every one of us that have played some part in a polarised world.

Time for us to put polarity behind us and choose peace, kindness and collaboration. Here’s to a brave new world 💜

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author

“Covid brought it to most people’s consciousness and conscience” - this🙌

Yes it did. But obviously it’s gone on for years. Wars happen this way.

Yes, I agree with you about putting polarity behind us. We have to forge connections with each other.

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