Working For Free > Working For Nothing
I couldn't wait to get into the Jury Commission office this morning.It's not for the $19 a day, it's not for the quite horrible free
"coffee," and it's not for digital cable. I'm anxious to hear my name
called.
This sort of investment is crazy hard to develop. The first thing we
look for from an employer is what we need to pay bills, and there's a
bit more potential for pride in serving your fellow citizens as fair
arbiters of their constitutional rights than there is in, say, selling
denim purses. But the Jury Commission manages to create this sense of
investment despite the relative discomfort because we all know we're a
part of something.
This is the core of "service": whatever the product itself, you can be a
part of something, of an interaction, of the effort to meet someone's
needs and add a little happy to their day. You can do this pimpin'
pleather accessories, you can do this fixing carburetors, and you can do
this running for president. It's more than a Twitter account and a
glossy web page, but right now, those things work for some things. For
others, you could do worse than to smile.
