Why Intimacy is the Key to Getting People Back to the Office
Jack Kerouac and troves of resignees have quite a bit in common
“I want to buy a van and travel cross country.”
A friend of mine has a 17-year-old son. He’s bright and affable, and he’s always been strong academically. Which is why my friend was shocked when he recently started talking about his van-traveling plans. “What about work?” she asked. He’ll hop onto jobs in random towns. “Companionship?” He’ll meet friends and lovers along the way. “A future career?” Eventually, he may pick up a trade. “And college? A traditional job?” Not on his agenda.
“Why would I ever do that?” he asked his mom, in earnest.
Anyone who’s read Jack Kerouac’s On the Road can appreciate the magnificence of a vagabond life. Kerouac reached out his hands and grabbed moments. Meaningful, exceptional moments. He wasn’t sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen. He was making love, listening to jazz music with friends, smelling the dirt in the fields, and learning the colors of dusk.
He was experiencing “the most beautiful of all moments.”
This engaging tale of American counterculture from more than 50 years ago has become the guidebook for a new generation.
