Better Than/Worse Than:

Is it worse to be unemployed, underemployed, or over-employed?

Is it worse to be unemployed, to lose one’s sense of self-worth, to constantly live in fear, to have no money and rely on the kindness of others, to amass endless amounts of free time that no longer are pleasurable as the weather gets colder, to gain weight by consuming food to fill the void that work and its sense of purpose once provided you?

Is it worse to be underemployed, to work one job that barely covers a week of living expenses, to work many jobs but still lack health insurance and a somewhat balanced schedule, to jump from menial occupation to menial occupation in the hope that a temp-to-hire position will actually pan out even though you know better?

Is it worse to be over-employed, to have a full-time job and still struggle, to collect part-time gigs with stipends that may or may not arrive sometime soon in the mail to make up for the expenses that inevitably arise and are out of your control, to work so much that you take pills on a daily basis to fall asleep, to take up vices to fill that void that arose when you realized your life is your work?