The Keeper

In what direction do we look for help when it’s needed most?

“What do you do?” It’s a common question people ask when meeting someone for the first time.

Everyone knows the expected answer has to do with employment. It means, “What do you do for a living?” Or, if you are retired, “What did you do?” For some, the answer to that question is deeply rooted in their fundamental identities as human beings. For others, it’s just a job.

The range of possible answers to “What do you do?” is a little different for each generation. The world of work is constantly changing, and there are answers today that would have made no sense to our ancestors: “I’m a podcaster … a computer coder … an Uber driver … a social media influencer.”

Similarly, there are jobs our ancestors would have known well that no longer exist today: “I’m an elevator operator … a milkman … a typesetter … a pinsetter in a bowling alley.”

When it...