Work kills

   A couple of weeks ago I was taking a walk here in The Presidio of San Francisco when I passed a middle- aged man wearing a black t-shirt with white letters on it that stated "WORK KILLS". I remember quickly surmising that perhaps this statement was made from a leftist or anarchist worldview, but then later rethought my assessment, and decided instead that it was a blanket statement that work of any kind was to be avoided.
   I started thinking as I continued on about this idea that work is evil, and remembered a quote from Sigmund Freud that I couldn't recall completely at that time, but which basically meant to me that humans need to love and work to be happy (After looking it up, I found that it is "Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness"). I can't say that the quote rings necessarily true for me, but know for myself that work can make me feel very good, and that I feel a great amount of self-worth through the work that I do. This includes the job I go to, but also the work I am doing writing this blog right now.
   I have it in my mind that it would be a sign of inner strength and deep belief in myself if I did not need work (especially the work I do at my job) to make me feel better emotionally. This would signify that I needn't rely on 'outside influences" to bolster my esteem. I continue writing this blog entry because this is not the case, and really haven't thought that concept out, anyway.
   Besides writing blogs and sometimes creating visual art, I also have a job that I go to that not only remunerates me economically, but also provides me with a great deal of self esteem for much of the time, and for that I consider myself pretty lucky. I like my job, and although I love the idea of not working, I'm not sure that it's a practical concept for my mental health. I guess I need the 'outside influence' of my work, even if it does kill.