Au Revoir, Kyubikel!

What compels one to leave the Kyubikel? For that, we should first ask ourselves what compels one to stay in the first place.

To me, the modern day definition of the kyubikel is a foreign notion and is unnatural. Here I’m talking about how we are all relegated to thinking that there is no world outside of our kyubikel.

A more proper definition of a kyubikel to me is

“a workspace that allows you to further your real goals, with tools to help you achieve that purpose.”

Just think back to your first kyubikel job. What did you feel like when you sat in a kyubikel for the first time? Probably several emotions at once. Perhaps you felt a sense of pride at having your very first kyubikel? Did you feel that you wanted to brighten up the space, put some pictures or pretty flowers? Perhaps you felt closed in and uncomfortable in your 4 X 5 piece of real estate. Whatever it is you felt, think back for a moment and reflect on the underlying driving force behind the experience: pre and post Kyubikel life.

The immediate thing that strikes you is how different it is from the pre-kyubikel life you just left behind. Say for example your pre-kyubikel job was in manual labor. Depending on the type of person you are, having a kyubikel now can be perceived as better or worse. If you are the type of person who enjoys being in the outdoors and working with your hands, then spending time in a kyubikel might as well be a death sentence. Maybe you won’t notice it immediately, but eventually you will begin to feel the weight of dissatisfaction weighing down on you.

Or say you were a student before coming into contact with your first kyubikel and you spent a lot of time on a desk cramming for lessons and tests. Probably a kyubikel won’t be much of a change. In fact, you’d probably appreciate the fact that now you are getting paid to do exactly as you’ve been doing before. In this regard, the post-kyubikel life will seem like a step up.

So depending on your preferences and prior conditions, your kyubikel life can either be a positive or negative experience and will affect your stay. Factor in present circumstances like compensation, salary, social acceptance, and degrees of power, and add future goals and aspirations into the mix then a complex picture begins to emerge. Yet, is it really as complex as it seems?

A kyubikel can be a means to an end. But more often than not we allow side issues to divert our attention from the real goal: the goal of figuring out who we are and what we want to do. Procrastination, fear, imagined safety, and a dozen other reasons hold us back from fully spreading our wings. There is a time and place for a kyubikel, but when that becomes your sole arena for action, you better re-examine your goals. Like it or not, a Kyubikel is a limited space, defined by invisible but very real borders. Like all things in life, it is finite and cannot possibly contain all the elements that one wishes to work with. It’s when we fool ourselves into thinking that this is the final goal that we end up cheating ourselves out of other experiences.

When we fall into this trap, much dissatisfaction awaits us in the end. And here’s the point: it’s because the modern kyubikel is a construct, an artificial environment that’s made to look like it’s an appealing place to be but in the long run does not fool anyone. Supposing your kyubikel is a wonderful collection of toys, memorabilia, pictures, postcards, candy and general knick knacks that pertain to your interests and hobbies. You feel wonderful, surrounded by these treasures and bright shiny objects. You might even have all the freedom to surf the web as you like without anyone bothering you, not least of all, your boss. Sounds like a dream come true? Think again. In the short term, it might seen like manna from heaven but not if we give up our freedom in exchange. A cage is a cage, even if it a golden one with ornate decorations.    

So, know yourself. Know what a kyubikel is for you. That way you will know whether to say goodbye to your present kyubikel or to give it little bear hugs in appreciation for all it does for you. – “V”