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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

New research looks at near-death experiences and people's attitudes to work [www.cbc.ca]:

Singer-songwriter Aysanabee was snowshoeing across a frozen lake in remote northern Ontario over a decade ago, when the ice gave way beneath him, plunging him into frigid waters.

[...] He eventually managed to pull himself back onto solid ground, where he started a small fire to warm up and dry off. On the long walk back to camp, he had time to reflect on how close he came to death — and what he wanted to do with this second chance.

"Then, three months later, I bought a one-way ticket to Toronto to go do music," he said.

At the University of Guelph, Jamie Gruman and his research team recently interviewed 14 people who suffered near-death experiences, examining the impact on their work and careers. Published in the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion [ingentaconnect.com] in April, their research showed that survivors gained new insights, from a greater interest in spirituality to a belief that everyone is born equal, and here for a reason.

"Specifically as a result of those things, the insights and the personal transformations, work often became much less important to people," said Gruman, a professor of organizational behaviour at Guelph University.

[...] Gruman said that what people want from their work boils down to three things: economic security, meaningful work that allows them to grow and develop, and high-quality relationships.

But for the study participants who had come close to death, that changed.

"They all completely lost interest in making money and any external measures of success," he said.

"They didn't want big houses and cars and boats. They didn't want to be the executive vice president. They didn't want to get rich."

By contrast, the desire for meaningful work and strong workplace relationships skyrocketed, he said. That led some participants to change jobs, or even completely change careers.

Others were able to find what they needed by rethinking how they approached their work, Gruman said, giving the example of a teacher who "didn't really like teaching."

After her near-death experience, "she considered herself now to be a teacher in the school of life," he said.

Like Aysanabee, a brush with death taught the participants a lesson about time.

"They decided, 'Look, you know, my time here is limited, so let me make a move. And do something that speaks to my soul,'" Gruman said.
"Teaching math and science was just incidental to teaching students about the importance of treating people well and living well."

Journal Reference: https://doi.org/10.51327/UKWD3742 [doi.org]

Original Submission