I Will Not Die

Cubicle trench warfare

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There are thousands, possibly millions, of people who work day in and day out and see no hope in a future that they want but believe they cannot have. As they grind away at some job, they often reminisce about some “other” life, some “other” place that they would like to go, but all the many circumstances around them remind them that the other life they think about is just not for them, that it belongs to their nostalgic inventions behind their closed eyes and no where else. But I don’t believe that’s how things ought to be. And if we are the masters of our own individual “oughts” then we should be able to disgrace our circumstances and prove them wrong by summoning our courage and our abilities and using them both to go where everything around us tells us that we can’t.

What is cubicle trench warfare?

Cubicle trench warfare is what I hope will become an informal group of people who aspire to free themselves from their workaday positions so they can enjoy much better, more enjoyable things in life. Care to join me? Most people go to work, plug away, go home, sleep and then go back to work. But what if we insert into that routine a very dirty little secret? A secret that even during all the mundane tasks that we must do, people engaged in cubicle trench warfare will harbor a completely separate set of tasks, all of which represent a furtive labor to escape.

In other words, engaging in cubicle trench warfare represents all the things you do, whether while at work or not, that will help lead you to the exit. Whether they be extending your education, developing your skills, working part-time on a small business idea, replacing your income, you name it.

Ideally, if we can get enough people involved taking active steps to free themselves, we can engage in some revealing discussions. Ultimately I see the home for this idea in the forum, where a community of people can talk about different ways they are engaged in our secret little individual wars.

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Dereck :: Jun.23.2008 :: Work :: 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Cubicle trench warfare”

1. on 23 Jun 2008 at 9:26 pm1Sean

   This was a very motivating post for me, I’ve just very recently begun to take steps to free myself. I’m a web developer and have begun taking steps to create a client base, and hopefully soon I can have an actual business.

2. on 23 Jun 2008 at 10:23 pm2Dereck

   @ Sean - Hey congratulations! Glad you’re taking steps. You’re posting regularly I see, care to join the forum for me? It’s one of those things where, when people don’t see much going on yet, they tend to be shy. I’d love to talk at greater depth with you about the things you’re doing in your life. I think you could be a role model for a lot of people.

3. on 24 Jun 2008 at 4:22 pm3Adam

   After just returning to a job (and career path) that I hate (and one I racked up tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to get to) from a wonderful week away on vacation, I’m more miserable than ever. I’m so far astray from where I dreamed of being when I began college 12 years ago and I’m determined to find my way back to that path. I’ve been planning my war strategy for some time now, and this post has given me the pep talk that I needed to intensify my planning and start freeing myself. Cubicle trench warriors unite!

4. on 24 Jun 2008 at 5:30 pm4Hayden Tompkins

   Well, then that makes me a cubicle trench warrior!

5. on 24 Jun 2008 at 7:36 pm5Veritas

   @sean thanks so much for sharing that. Look forward to hearing your progress updates.

   @adam, hayden and dereck - am with you

6. on 24 Jun 2008 at 11:01 pm6Dereck

   @ Sean, Adam, Hayden & Veritas, (and others reading along): I definitely think this is worth developing. I think we need some kind of logo

   Then everyone could hang the reminder right on their cubicle (or other workspace) wall.

7. on 07 Jul 2008 at 3:49 pm7Paul

   Where do I sign up? I’m doing IT work in a cubicle to make ends meet, when I feel like I should be doing something else — something more fulfilling with my life. My problem is I don’t know what that “something else” is.

   I have a few interests but none that would pay well enough to feed my family. So for now I’m stuck in my cube. I’ll do anything I can to find a new direction and/or motivation for getting out.

8. on 07 Jul 2008 at 10:30 pm8Dereck

   @Paul - You just did Come see me in the forum sometime. I’d love to talk at greater length about your ambitions. I want to help you out of the cubicle.

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