Right Livelihood and Working in Technical Support Currently, I work at home taking calls for tech support for a cable company. I work to help solve customers' issues as best as possible over the phone and send a technician if need be. The one thing I have been able to get past now is getting people onto the newest service available. The way that I see this being right livelihood is due to the fact that I am relieving suffering through poor cable services and possibly stress with paying too much (only sometimes is it paying more for the new service). I would like some thoughts on this as this has been running through my mind lately. No harm is being done through this job from what I can tell.
Thanks in advance and Big Love!
At the core of The Right Livelihood training rule is the same principle as behind the rest of the Eightfold Path: to stop creating causes of suffering.
The jobs and professions that involve creating suffering, either directly - by killing or torturing others, or indirectly - by creating latent conditions for conflict, confusion, physical or mental sickness etc - are obviously unwholesome.
Jobs that focus on healing, rescuing, reconciling, educating about healthy lifestyles, etc. - in other words those that create direct or indirect causes of peace and harmony - are obviously wholesome.
Everything else falls somewhere in between. A job that you describe definitely falls on the &quot;good&quot; side of the spectrum, since like you said it saves the people from frustration and reconciles the potential conflict between them and the company providing the service.
Perhaps if you transmit enough warmth in your communication you can even make a deep and long-lasting difference in someone's life. This definitely sounds like a good livelihood, in my opinion.