No. It was not because he was smoking crack as the media rumor mill tried to convince us. Did they think the only reason someone would walk away from a multi-million dollar job is because they were on crack? Or did they think that the only reason a black man would do that was because he was on crack? The media does a great job of manufacturing public thought especially when it is racist or sexist thought. And that is one of the reasons Dave quit- as you will read below.
Dave quit his job to escape the stress. No amount of money is worth selling your soul for work nor is it worth not being allowed to manifest your soul's work.
Dave Chappelle joined the few who realize that putting up with certain pressures from work are not worth it. They are not worth the money, physical illness or emotional distress it can induce. It is not worth doing things which you consider unethical or uncreative.
I watched Dave on Oprah and Inside the Actor's Studio. He talked about the pressure his company placed on him to do certain things with the show that he completely disagreed with. He specifically mentioned a skit recently shown on the "Lost Episodes" which he thought only confirmed racial stereotypes rather then, in his usual style, showing them to us so we can stop using of them. I saw the skit and I completely agree with him in spite of the audiences vote. Dave took the bold stance against popularity and financial gain. Dave stands for creative awareness and freedom, cultural awareness and freedom and self awareness and freedom.
Many of my patients are ill because of work related stress. They suffer fatigue, anxiety, headaches, frequent colds, digestive problems such as IBS, insomnia, infertility, weight gain or loss and more. We all live in a society in which we must work to survive. So the very thought of quitting our jobs to find something more spiritually fulfilling can be scary. We worry about our bills, family responsibilities and finacial freedom. But the truth is that we cannot have any of those things without our health in body and mind.
As I work with patients who are suffering from physical and emotional pain and illness we discuss lifestyle choices. Many of them decide to to make the bold decision to change their lifestyle so that they can free themselves of this suffering. They make personal revelations about how daily choices effect their relationships with friends, family, co-workers, partners- or how choices block them from developing deep relationships because they are working 60 (or more) hours per week.
Lifestyle change is a branch treatment within Chinese medicincal paradigm. For some, lifestyle change does not need to be as drastic as leaving a job. Maybe then can cut it to part-time or take breaks during the work day, stop eating lunch at the desk and go outside to eat, exercise, or use earned vacation time no matter how many pressing client jobs are on the plate etc. Your employers give you vacation time for a reason. If they get upset because you use it, that is thier problem, don't make it yours. The government made labor laws for a reason too. These laws protect our rights to breaks during the work day.
Are there ways you can reduce your stress, cultivate a sense that you are working toward the greater good for your self, your family or society? Take some time to think about this for yourself. Maybe even journal your thoughts and reflect on them. How much do you lose because of your job? And how much of that is worth the money?
Posted by: Juliette Aiyana
