Sage Dostoevsky, Hybrid Work, The Library of Babel
Three Point Thursday
Happy Three Point Thursday. This week’s edition features a classic line from Russian literature, some thoughts on modern work, and a quick highlight of the wisdom of Jorge Luis Borges and Albert Camus.
My favorite Dostoevsky line, from The Brothers Karamazov.
“You must know that there is nothing higher, or stronger, or sounder, or more useful afterwards in life, than some good memory, especially a memory from childhood, from the parental home. You hear a lot said about your education, yet some such beautiful, sacred memory, preserved from childhood, is perhaps the best education. If a man stores up many such memories to take into life, then he is saved for his whole life.”
Some thoughts on hybrid work.
A recent Gallup indicator showed that among remote-capable jobs in the U.S., 27% are exclusively remote, 21% are on-site, and 52% are hybrid (source). It is interesting to see some data on this, because in talking to fellow corporate world people, it seems the majority tell me they work hybrid. I do as well, in my current sales role at a technology company. It is three days in office, two days remote. However, when I first started, there was no real office requirement, and I was pretty much fully remote. Many big companies in America want more people back in the office, and the one I work for is no exception. Although I used to be skeptical about the value of in-office camaraderie and the community feel that comes from that, I must say, it is a real thing, and I enjoy it. A hybrid set up is ideal because it lets you enjoy the social environment of the office while still having days with more privacy and independence. However, if I had to choose between a fully on-site or a fully remote job, I would choose remote ten times out of ten. You can’t beat the freedom.
Jorge Luis Borges is profound.
I recently reread The Library of Babel, a classic short story by the great Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. I read the English version in my apartment in Austin, which was a far cry from reading it in the original Spanish in a coffee shop in Buenos Aires, as I did a few months ago. But it was still fun nonetheless. There are strong parallels between this story and Camus’ ideas in The Myth of Sisyphus, in that they both assert a bold, optimistic happiness despite all the confusion, weirdness, and mystery that is inherent in existence.
Is fully remote the future or hybrid here to stay?