Iron is strong and solid.
It is used in defense, it is used to support large structures, it is used in weapons and it is used many household appliances.
Iron is not normally associated with beauty.
An iron chandelier is almost an oxymoron mixing the sturdy utilitarian nature of iron with the status invoking world of chandeliers.
Iron chandeliers are a perfect metaphor for the ambiguities and hidden strengths the rest in most peoples souls.
Many people are reluctant to associate the aspects of their life that support them as beautiful or elegant.
For many people one of the most important supports in their life is their source of income.
Whether it is working at the gas station, washing dishes, running an investment firm or teaching kindergarten, most people regard work as an inconvenient necessity.
No doubt in many ways that is what the job has become, a series of routines that hold little personal value for the employee, but help the business prosper.
The value is in the income they derive from their time spent working.
There are many people who love what they do, who derive great satisfaction from the work of their hands and minds.
Good for them.
What about the others who drag themselves out of bed everyday with no greater desire then to reach 5:00 unscathed? Like iron, these jobs offer strength and support to the lives of millions.
The challenge is finding the elegance and beauty in many of these jobs.
Society often attaches status to various positions in society and these positions aren't always compensated in relationship to the value they offer.
School teachers provide great value but the position isn't compensated well or given the social status that it deserves.
Many other positions also provide great value and little status, while some professional positions provide status but little real value to society.
The bonuses of the financial service sector demonstrate the contribution to the community is out of sync with the compensation of the industry.
Even in the narrowly defined community of the economy and investors, these members were greatly compensated while doing harm to the larger communities and the narrow one they were supposed to serve.
It has become clear that status and value don't always relate.
In many religions and many philosophies there is a recurring message about how it is less important what one does in the world and more important how one does it.
If someone approaches their job with their full attention and complete presence of mind several things begin to happen.
First and foremost a certain natural ethics takes root.
Most people are good by nature, and being fully aware and accountable for ones actions makes it impossible to act in ways that bring harm to others.
While this may lead to conflict and career change, it also leads to greater job satisfaction.
The second benefit of full attention is often in the relationships developed through work.
A person that is fully present is able to hear, see and understand others around them.
This understanding is a valued resource that often leads to great friendship and career mobility.
No matter what someone does, there is beauty to be found within it.
That is the challenge everyone faces in their day to day lives.