On Tuesday 27 September, Chris had the privilege of addressing University of Canberra students at their graduation ceremony.
Chris noted that each of the graduates was about to embark on a working life as a profession, and he considered the nature of work and of professionalism:
It is worthwhile considering why we work. What is our motivation? Why do we do it?
Why do we get up and go to work every day?
The simple answer is money. We want to earn enough to buy our food, pay our rent or mortgage, and save for a rainy day. This is the concept which informed the foundations of economics through the work of Adam Smith and Karl Marx.
It is an answer which is deeply unsatisfying. In my working life there seem to have been many answers.
For insight I turned to the writing of Rudyard Kipling. Kipling was born in India, educated in England and awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907. For the last hundred years Kipling’s imperialist views and love of violence have prejudiced many of us to his other messages.
His collection of short stories published in the book – The Day’s Work – explores why we work. Different ideas are brought forward:
- Firstly, we may work for honour and credit, the recognition of our colleagues as a worthy member of our profession.
I have certainly appreciated this in my career. It was manifested in the referral to me by colleagues of patients for treatment. On numerous occasions I was asked to provide an expert opinion in dento-legal cases. The affirmation of your worth by your colleagues is profoundly satisfying.
- Secondly, work is good of itself and the activity is gratifying.
My work satisfied me on a daily basis, whether undertaking the straight-forward restoration of a decayed tooth or working through a complex treatment plan involving multiple visits over weeks or months.
- Thirdly, there is a spiritual aspect, a mysticism that cannot be understood.
For me the deep concentration required during complex manual tasks – whether preparing a tooth for a crown or during implant surgery – was like meditation.
For Kipling, work is a solution not a means; it is the purpose of our lives and not the means to live. It is the purpose of our lives and not the means to live.
Dr Bourke congratulated the graduates on their achievements and wished them the very best in their future endeavours.
