Invisible Labor

We live in a very visual society. Every day we process countless bits of imagery. Moreover, we tend to assess the world based on what it is that we see. And in these technological times, with computers, smartphones and video monitors so prevalent, images are coming at us at an alarmingly fast rate. 

Think about it - even as you read these words, images come to mind - in your mind’s eye.

We think that, as long as we keep our eyes open, we can see enough to know, see enough to understand, see enough to believe, see enough to be sure.

But the truth is, despite the old adage that seeing is believing, our eyes are generally not a reliable sole-source of what is really happening around us. For everything we see, for everything that is visible to us, there is so much more that we just don’t know. So much truth that remains invisible.

It’s not just what remains out of frame. It’s so easy to manipulate opinion based on what we choose to show or not to show. And yes, that plays a part. But the real truth lies in what can’t be taken in with our five senses. 

There is a popular, and very important, focus recently on the existence - and significance - of invisible labor. Invisible labor refers to the work behind the work. The planning and strategizing, the prioritizing, the knowing, the remembering. It’s the things behind the scenes, the non-glamorous bits that make the lights shine so bright.

Most recently, the conversation surrounding invisible labor has been centered largely on traditionally womens’ domestic work. The unnoticed, unappreciated, unrelenting, unregulated work being done around the clock to make sure that everyone has everything they need to do the “real” work - the things that other people actually notice.

As I’ve come to think more on the subject, I think the notion of invisible work actually cuts even deeper than this. And is just as important, just as in need of recognition, and just as dangerous should it continue to be ignored.

Every single day, every single person you meet is working in ways that you know nothing about. Maybe they’re waking up at 5am to get in their workout before the rest of their family wakes up. Maybe they’re staying up hours after the final member of their household has gone to sleep to study for a degree that you don’t know that they are pursuing. Maybe they are sneaking in moments to learn a new skill or hobby, to do random acts of kindness, or to plant trees or public vegetable gardens, all in silence.

Even further, there is invisible work being put in right in front of our faces. It’s under the surface at every celebration, as friends or loved ones show up with a smile, even as their hearts are breaking over other circumstances in their lives. It happens every day - in the woman attending a baby shower as she is struggling with her own fertility journey. In the person showing up to their friend’s wedding despite their loneliness at not having a partner. It is the person going through the motions of everyday life battling demons of mental health or invisible pain and illness. Every day, every person you meet is putting in unknowable amounts of invisible labor to be present no matter what troubles or traumas they are enduring.

So celebrate the things we can see. Appreciate them for their beauty and their accomplishments, for the obvious effort that has yielded amazing things. But also, let’s learn to celebrate those things that we cannot see. To appreciate the work that goes on behind the scenes. Let’s remember to consider and acknowledge the strength, courage, and determination of those less than beautiful moments, of those efforts that yielded ordinary things.

We don’t always need to make the invisible visible - it isn’t always ours to see. But, even in this highly visual world, remember to hold space for the pieces that we cannot see.