Sorry for bursting in here like that without introducing myself - I'm just in a hurry (I'll definitely do that later though ).
I'm desperately seeking a job, it's incredibly hard to find one and I'm also in a hurry because I'm under pressure by our employment office, but I'm not sure whether working at a Glock factory could be considered particularly skillful? Right livelihood means not trading with weapons and earning your living with peaceful means, but - I need a job; some job.
What do you think about this?
"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." - Franz Kafka
"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." - Henry David Thoreau
Working at a weapons factory would be way down my list of preferences. But I would take the job if there is little choice and I need the employment. However, even so, I would avoid working in any dept that has a direct input to the production line, testing, packing, selling etc. Acceptable divisions could be support functions like accounts, cleaning, food, human resources, adminstration and so on.
Yeah, it's WAY down my list of preferences too. I don't like the thought of having to work there at all.
"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." - Franz Kafka
"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." - Henry David Thoreau
There seems to be a kind of "exception" ( for lack of a more appropriate word) on Right Livelihood if your mind is free or relatively free from defilements. See Dhammapada 124 and its commentary. Not that I recommend the job but if you find yourself in it, you may wish to bear this in mind.
Sorry for bursting in here like that without introducing myself - I'm just in a hurry (I'll definitely do that later though ).
I'm desperately seeking a job, it's incredibly hard to find one and I'm also in a hurry because I'm under pressure by our employment office, but I'm not sure whether working at a Glock factory could be considered particularly skillful? Right livelihood means not trading with weapons and earning your living with peaceful means, but - I need a job; some job.
I wouldn't take a black and white approach to this. In the modern world of the mega-corporations the grey areas have become a lot larger. I work in a plc that is mostly in property and hotels. That means somewhere in there, there is also sale of liquor. But I am not directly involved in it.
I'm aware there may not be many such areas in a Glock factory. But it depends how distant your work is from the actual production and sale of weapons. How desperate are you ? if the work is actually on the production line, how long will it take before you can get another job? Having a little money and being in a position to do some good with it is preferable to being homeless or desperate.
Sorry for bursting in here like that without introducing myself - I'm just in a hurry (I'll definitely do that later though ).
I'm desperately seeking a job, it's incredibly hard to find one and I'm also in a hurry because I'm under pressure by our employment office, but I'm not sure whether working at a Glock factory could be considered particularly skillful? Right livelihood means not trading with weapons and earning your living with peaceful means, but - I need a job; some job.
What do you think about this?
What's your qualification?
I'm sure you can find a kitchen, pizza delivery, messenger, garbage job...? Wood chuck? Farm hand?
Putting weapons together is uncool and I think the unemploment office must respect religious limitations.
But perhaps, as Pilgrim wrote above, it depends on what you would actually be doing for them. I don't see that being a janitor at a Glock factory would be as problematic as working on the production line. And even working on the production line isn't as uncool as being involved in marketing and sales (where you are actively working to persuade people to buy lethal weapons).
Relativism is inevitable when talking about such matters because all human endeavors, outside of the monastic life at least, generate kamma to some degree, no?
I think the idea is to reduce rather than increase negative Vipaka.
And working in an arms factory is guaranteed to increase negative karma vipaka...just as surely as being a slaughterman. Or drug dealer.
).
