On why we do what we do Wistering says:
“I enjoy it,” he replied. “I like to think I contribute to bringing about justice. When someone takes another person’s life, they have to know someone will come after them and hold them accountable. If no one did this job, then we’d have a society where the rights of the strongest would prevail.”
His comment brought to mind Harry Bosch’s motto “everybody counts or nobody counts”. In an article in the Chicago Tribune in 2012 Michael Connelly speaks about the phrase:
"The reality is that detectives are not always investigating the murders of their girlfriends or people they know," says Connelly, who took up writing crime after several years as a police reporter at the Los Angeles Times, in an interview. "They have to make impersonal cases personal, and I gave Harry that ability. He comes to a crime scene, and his client, if you will, is dead. It's the unfairness of what's happened to that person that makes him angry, and gives him that relentless drive to find out what happened and zero in on whoever was responsible. As he always says, everybody counts or nobody counts."
A link to my post on “everybody counts or nobody counts” is below.
Wistering then provided a more personal reason for becoming and staying a police officer:
“What’s more, I think it’s exciting,” Wisting added. “I could easily have said I became a policeman because I wanted to make the world a better place, to make a difference, but when all is said and done, it’s really because of a fascination with serious crimes.”
I became a lawyer not for any grand ambitions about justice or making the world a better place. It was because I did not want to be a teacher or be employed by the government. Those seemed to be the jobs available with a history degree. Even in the 1970’s I sensed there were more people with Master’s and Ph.D’s in History than were employable using their degrees. I had marks good enough to get into law school and thought it could be interesting.
When I started law school I realized I liked the challenges of law - its interpretation and application.
When I started articling and then working as a lawyer in private practice the words of Wistering above applied to me.
I liked using the law to help people.
I found going to court exciting. I have always loved sports. Going to court was a new type of competition. I know few litigators who are not competitive persons.
I have also enjoyed being a lawyer as the work is not routine. Certainly there is repetition but there is a continuing stream of new clients with problems and issues that are varied and often complex.
I do not think I would have enjoyed a job where the work is the same from day to day, month to month, year to year.
I found driving a tractor on the farm as a teenager and young man the most boring job of my life. I found it hard to stay focused going up and down a field all day. At that time it was an open tractor and there was no ability to have a radio or cell phone or other electronic device on the tractor. Current tractors let the operators have communication.
Motivations for work a person choses come in so many different ways. I would be interested in hearing from readers on why you do what you do or why you did what you did.
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Horst, Jørn Lier - (2025) - The Katharina Code
Thank you, Bill, for sharing what made you become a lawyer. I think it's really interesting to reflect on why we do what we do, and you've helped me understand a lot about what goes on behind the scenes of a law firm. I can see the link between your interest in sports competition and your interest in courtroom trials. That makes sense, as does your preference for not doing the same thing day after day.
ReplyDeleteAs I think about my own career choices, one reason I got into the education field is that I was good at school (although not at everything academic). I had memorable teachers who inspired me, and others I remember with a shudder. It all made me wonder about how school works, how teachers learn to do what they do, and how students can best be supported.
The writing part of my life started in Grade Six, when we were assigned to write a short story. I found I really enjoyed the process, and my English teacher was supportive of my writing. Years later, I picked writing up again, and haven't really looked back.
Margot: Thanks for the comment. Your comment shows how important school is in shaping our lives. From reading your posts over the years I can understand you want to share knowledge and support learning. On writing it was interesting to see how early you became a writer and the role of a teacher.
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