This time of year often beckons us to go "back to work". For some it's the beginning of a new academic year. For others it's a return to work after an extended holiday or summer break. For others it's the time to begin a new cycle. But do we really want to be 'going back' and do we really want to be 'working' for a living?

In this week's podcast we inquire about the nature of work, and think about why so many of our lives have become centred around work - in particular 'going to work' - rather than about nurturing livelihood. We explore some of the significant shifts in our human evolution that led to this way of living; think about what it means to match purpose and passion with contributing to the larger whole; explore some of the limitations of life's focus being about contributing to the market economy and question the meaning of success.

In this episode we reference the following:

• Ikigai - a Japanese framework for thriving (Website / framework)
• Gross National Happiness - Bhutan's wellbeing index (website)
• Buen Vivir - a social philosophy (article)
• The Story of Triple WellBeing - ThoughtBox (PDF download)
• The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction - Ursula Le Guin ( short story PDF)
• On New Beginnings - John O'Donoghue (Podcast / poem)

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