A friend of mine wrote a tweet that really made me think the other day: I don’t deny the existence of a sense of vocation. And I think the whole idea of vocational awe recognizes that lots of people come into helping professions with this sense of vocation or calling. But Tim goes beyond that in suggesting that we should respect that some people feel called to their profession and have made that choice for themselves. I think he means to separate an individual’s sense of vocation from vocational awe as a system of oppression. And I find that interesting. As if the choices of individuals are somehow separate from the larger systems. This really got me thinking: is a sense of vocational awe always harmful? And my answer after spending a few days mulling it over is “yes.”
Vocational awe is always harmful
Vocational awe is always harmful
Vocational awe is always harmful
A friend of mine wrote a tweet that really made me think the other day: I don’t deny the existence of a sense of vocation. And I think the whole idea of vocational awe recognizes that lots of people come into helping professions with this sense of vocation or calling. But Tim goes beyond that in suggesting that we should respect that some people feel called to their profession and have made that choice for themselves. I think he means to separate an individual’s sense of vocation from vocational awe as a system of oppression. And I find that interesting. As if the choices of individuals are somehow separate from the larger systems. This really got me thinking: is a sense of vocational awe always harmful? And my answer after spending a few days mulling it over is “yes.”