Thoughts on working

I work in a fairly large company.

I was discussing employment with a friend of mine, temporarily working here, who had been offered a position in this company. One comment that really stuck went on the lines of how the employees here seemed so discontent, with a lot of stuff. Pretty much everything, more or less. It is true, and I've seen it at other large companies as well.

In a large company, it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't really matter what you do. You can even be something of a loser, you can be lazy, avoiding work. I've seen people get away with that for years. Either the management doesn't care, or they accept it as something inevitable, or they might not even realize what's going on, that these people are unhappy and not really contributing to anything (except a bad atmosphere, perhaps).
Repeat: You are nothing. Your actions amount to nothing. Your voice is not heard.

Later during that conversation, I was rambling about my dreams, about the company I'd like to start, how it would operate, what we would do, how we would make a living out of it. And later yet, when I was on my way home, on my own, I realized that I was in a really good mood, much happier than I had been earlier, before the daydreaming session. Not the regular grumpy old me. It seemed like just envisioning a place where I could be creative, where every decision could really matter, where things could be changed (and changed by me, and my equals) made me happier. The mere thought of those working environments made me feel better. I really believe that it was letting my mind work creatively for a while that accomplished that. Imagine how the human brain and soul is crushed, suffocated, diminished in a large company. Imagine the losses in human lives, or at least their quality of life. It's such a waste.

And another thing; I realize that my dream company would probably last for about ten minutes, and then, when we were down and out, we would probably have achieved nothing at all. Everything has to be so efficient these days, it's not possible to be the village shoe maker anymore. Why is that? How can it not be possible to work in a small scale, when it's possible to make crap in a large company?

Anyway, I understand that it's hard to make a living on your own. But it's so sad that the alternative is to go to work every day to have a piece of your

Maybe the trick is to fill your spare time with some creative work, and perhaps work less. It still feels like a waste to do something mind-numbing during the work day, though.