Life and Work

Life and Work – Theory vs Practice and a Never-Ending Process

For all of us, life and work are inextricably interwoven and intertwined, with often unforeseen – but always interesting – consequences.

This self-composed text (not sure it qualifies as a bona fide poem) has been posted on the doors of all offices I have occupied in multiple countries on several continents, and presently on offices doors in Kristiansand, Norway and Sofia, Bulgaria. It is a reminder that life (or practice) and work (or theory) (or is it the other way around?) are closely related, and that building order and preventing chaos, and – not the least – finding a meaning throughout it all, is a never-ending process.

As you may have noticed, this text is available also in the Introduction to this blog. Together with the other text posted there, it speaks – perhaps – to my view of my own self, and how it – possibly – has evolved over my personal and professional life.

In retrospect, I wonder if this is a case of me choosing the text, or if it is the text that choses me, and I am sure that my education and practise as an anthropologist (again, it is a question of interpretation whether I chose anthropology or whether it was the other way around) have lots to do with it. In any case, it leaves me contemplating to what extent I subconciously – very likely not consciously – act and lead my life to live up to the essence of the text.

Lars T Soeftestad

Notes
(1) Image credit: Lars Soeftestad.
(2) Relevant Devblog articles: Welcome (to Devblog) at: https://devblog.no/en
(3) Permalink. URL: https://devblog.no/en/article/life-and-work
(4) This article was published 12 July 2019. It was revised 8 December 2020.