Professions

Someone posted a comment asking for my profession, and guess what, it got me thinking...

Ok, it's been three days from the first sentence to this one. No, no, I've not been meditating all this while, just been too damn busy, work and otherwise. But here I am now, with a moment to spare and a thought or two swirling in the head. So let's get to my profession.

Can I classify myself as having a singular profession? Is my profession the job I do? Or does my profession go deeper into my belief system?

Would I call XYZ my profession? Afterall I graduated in XYZ, have been working in the XYZ industry for the last 5 years or so, and most of my friends are working in the same field. So I guess as a working professional, yes XYZ can be termed as my "field", but not profession. Profession would be variations within the realm of XYZ, or not...

Now let's dig a little deeper. As defined by Word Web profession means:

Noun : Profession
1. The body of people in a learned occupation
2. An occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or
sciences)
3. An open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion
"a profession of disagreement"
4. Affirmation of acceptance of some religion or faith
"a profession of Christianity"

As far as 1. goes, I can't really identify myself with any singular body of people. I've always been bad belonging to any specific community. To cut a long (and tedious) story short, let's just say, there usually are numerous disagreements, at the grass root level. So as per 1. I have no profession, and the way things stand I won't in the near (or distant) future.

As for 2. one way to look at it would be how I linked myself to XYZ, but that's a loose linkage isn't it. I mean can we call it special education in the Doom generation. As far as special education is concerned, I remember taking special sex-ed classes which were mandatory in our elementary school. So does that make me a professional sex maniac? I certanily hope not! So this definition can only result in inaccurate interpretations...hence...move on.

Coming to 3. now. Well I am quite often described as having a big mouth, so I keep finding myself in situations where I am strongly professing some belief or opinion. Anti-religious-blindness, Pro-movies, etc etc. I guess when I believe in something I believe in it quite strongly. But this way I'd have as many professions as problems in life. Dare we start counting? Perhaps not!

Alright, at 4. finally and this is the last one. I am simply not able to accept in totality any religion or faith, try as I may...But again loosely binding ourselves to this definition, I would classify myself in the "profession of Islam". But again an Islam which wouldn't conclude in the ending of lives at some point of conflict, so I guess I'm outta there as well.

So my friend, whoever you are, do you understand why I say when I say that I have no real profession, and please do not take offence if I say that neither do you, or anyone else. For simply put, such hard and discrete boundries do not gel well with such a malleable and analog concept of life.

Next time then...

P.S. Started my MS yesterday, and it was very wierd being in a classroom after a hiatus of about 5 years. So let's see where we end up this time...I guess the fun (as always) lies in the journey...