Prolificity. An exciting word. A word that speaks more to essence than to substance. But it is not the whole story.

To be complete, prolificity must be more than productivity – (think of a prolific bureaucrat); it must also be fruitful, (i.e. good, beneficial). To be fruitful in one's efforts to be prolific one must also be thoughtful, one must doubt and question, one must evolve, learn, grow, and one must work to be prescient. This prolific uncertainty emphasizes quality over quantity; reason over acclaim.

To get a little bit (or a big bit) better; to improve; to create and add more Goodness this time than last time, and to do so for the sake of Goodness…

It is what I aspire to, in everything I do.

And where has it gotten me?

In my decades of aspiring to prolific uncertainty, in this capitalistic world of work, I have discovered (somewhat in hindsight) that it is opposed to the financial security that is more likely to follow the prestigious promotions and titles that are commonly and erroneously used as benchmarks for prolificity. In my work experience, when due to the force of my prolific uncertainty I have found myself admired or (worse) feared for a proffered position or a new title it has surprised and disappointed me. Additionally, though not socially inept, I do not typically work very hard to be socially ept; (I know – not a word). All of this has contributed to frustration when I do rise short of my level of incompetence and I am unable to improve, make better, add Goodness to the more powerful, though incompetent decision-makers above me, which in turn leads to me trading personal financial security and/or more prestigious titles and positions for my integrity. So here I am, later in life (63), not having ever risen to a mind-numbing level of incompetence, integrity (mostly) intact, struggling to figure out how to productively contribute or (second choice) retire, and comfortably (as much as that is possible) survive on a minimal wage and/or retirement income, with all the associated aches and pains of getting older, in a world that regardless of rhetoric really doesn’t care.

And I (for now) am one of the lucky ones; perhaps because I have aspired and worked hard. But this system still seems wrong, (and even more so for many who are truly unlucky). In a world where we could choose to do better for all humans, we instead choose to believe this is the way of the world, allowing incompetent decision-makers to be excessively comfortable at the expense of (I believe ultimately) the future of humanity.