Jan 7, 2017 04:04
7 yrs ago
English term

not serving any of the things that I care about

English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Hello everyone,

A business leader who survived the 2011 Japanese tsunami said afterward, “Every day now I think about the meaning of my life and what I am here to do.” A senior executive from Sweden wrote to me, “I’m still young, I have a beautiful family, plenty of money, and I’m at the top of my profession, but I’m not happy. I’m making money, but ***I’m not serving any of the things that I care about***.” Lord Andrew Stone, former managing director of ftarks & Spencer PLC, told me, “I often wake at four in the morning, asking myself what it’s all about, what it all means. I feel if I can’t find answers to these questions, I might as well chop myself.”

I've to admit that "I’m not serving any of the things that I care about" sounds rather vague to me.
Does it imply that there isn't a full dedication/commitment on the part of this person to what he does/ to what he considers important? Or does it mply that he doesn't help other people enough?

Thank you.

Discussion

Mikhail Korolev (asker) Jan 7, 2017:
* Thank you, Dariusz
Darius Saczuk Jan 7, 2017:
Obviously, he is not fully happy with what he has devoted his life so far to. He has realized that there must be more noble things in life than making money, working 24/7 for his company etc. He most probably knows what those things are but he might as well still be in the process of soul-searching and trying to identify the things that in the long-term are more valuable than his professional success. The text does not say what he specifically is referring to. Helping others can be on his mind indeed.
Mikhail Korolev (asker) Jan 7, 2017:
Here is what comes next: The search for meaning is the primary motivation in all our lives. It is this search that defines our humanity, that possibly makes us unique among earth’s creatures. And it is when this deep need for meaning goes unmet that our lives come to feel shallow or empty. We “lose the plot.” To function as full (and fulfilled) human beings, we need meaningful answers to questions like: What is my life all about? What does my job mean? What is the meaning of this company I have founded or worked for? Why am I in this relationship? What does it mean that I will die someday? Why commit myself to one thing or another, to one person or another—or to anything?

Responses

+8
6 mins
Selected

he does not devote his life, time and resources to the causes he feels strongly about

What these causes are is unclear. More context is needed.

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Note added at 1 day12 hrs (2017-01-08 16:41:28 GMT) Post-grading
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;-)
Peer comment(s):

agree Arabic & More
26 mins
Thank you, Amel.
agree Ashutosh Mitra
50 mins
Thank you, Ashutosh.
agree Jack Doughty
2 hrs
Thank you, Jack.
agree Petr Hrabe
3 hrs
Thank you, Phrabe.
agree Yasutomo Kanazawa
3 hrs
Thank you, Yasutomo.
agree Charles Davis : Classic midlife crisis. Even non-business leaders have them.
5 hrs
Yes. Thank you, Charles.
agree Yvonne Gallagher : I think it's to do with the previous sentence: the Swedish exec. is not living in accordance with the deeper meaning of life
8 hrs
Definitely. Thank you, Gallagy.
agree Sabrina Bruna
8 hrs
Thank you, Sabrina.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you, Dariusz."
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