For all but the last ~150 years or so of human existence, meaning and purpose came almost exclusively from (1) raising a family and (2) religion. I think the cruelest tragedy of modernity is that we no longer teach our children that life can actually be quite rewarding and fulfilling outside of one’s profession.
> came almost exclusively from (1) raising a family and (2) religion
And the military, and politics, and arts, and friends, and philosophy, and sciences, ...
It's a big fat modern-times bias to imagine that our 19th century ancestors were so simplistic. Just read Zola or Dostoïevski, many characters and/or situations could be transposed nearly intact in modern times.
To me this is a fascinating byproduct of North American life... especially having left. The reality is that that work is the least important part of my character - though it pays for things.
I have no idea what the majority of people in my community do. We simply never discuss work, there's so much more between family, nature, and the goings on in the world. The complete reverse was true in North America - the first question after "what's your name" was invariably "what do you do".
