Why do we work?

I took mother to the government clinic yesterday for her regular checkup and to collect her medication. The young doctor was so impatient. It was written all over her face and shown through her action and voice. Why on earth does she want to be a doctor then if she has no patience with the patients?

Answer:
a. She is overworked in a government clinic. The patients waiting for her attention are endless. On top of it, being of different colour and young, she is bullied by the little napoleons at the registrar who keep pushing patients to her but give lesser patients to their kind. (We who sit around and watch have eyes to see, we are not stupid).

b. She thinks being a doctor means earning big bucks (which may come true eventually) but in the process of reaching that goal, she forgot what she learnt in her Pendidikan Moral classes.

c. She was probably having her PMS or had a fight with her boyfriend or it was just not her day.

In the ancient chinese social hierachy, one of the level is made up of the farmers, artisans and merchants. When I took a vote from the class on who wants to be in one of the above category, none wanted to be farmer. Why? To them farmers don't earn much money and it is almost like hard labour. Majority chose to be merchants (business people earn lots of money).

But the most honorable job is the farmer. Without farmers, the nation will have no food. Without food, there will be no nation! The farmers were the core of the economy of the nation that time. The young people do not see it that way anymore; if they don't get material wealth from it, it's just not a good job.

So....is working just about money/wealth? What has happened to ideals like service to the society/country? Helping the needy? Influencing the young positively? Being charitable etc etc.

It is interesting how doctors from the private sectors ooze with kindness and patience and tolerance but this is not entirely true in the public sector.