On Becoming Idle

There is an old Scottish proverb which reads: “If the devil find a man idle, he’ll set him to work.” It was by no mere whim that the Lord God gave man his work to do and commanded him to do it. Yet men often suppose that they would enjoy themselves everlastingly in idleness. But let them be forced to idleness, and it would quickly become irksome than work had ever been. In fact, he who supposes a heaven without work supposes no heaven at all, but a place of boredom, a place of restless, discontented souls. Of course there are extremes of work, as there are extremes of idleness. Some work becomes burdensome soon: all work may become burdensome if continued without respite—but so does all leisure. Sometimes we hear of those who suppose that we have a surplus of hands or of brains, of those who seem to fear that one class of men, or all men, are going to run out of things to do, and who would restrict, therefore, how much a man may do. As to this, we need but ask a few self-answered questions: Was there ever a time when the meager and modest wants of men were fully satisfied? Was there ever a time when everything was made that should be made or when everything was built that needed building? Were all things ever beautified that needed beautifying? Were all the children ever taught who needed teaching? Were all the souls ever saved who needed saving? Who under heaven is ever going to run out of work! Or in heaven, either, for that matter? To withhold labor contributes but to impoverishment, because the world is enriched only by the total effort of all, and the less there is for all of us, ultimately the less there is for each of us. Progress has been the gift of those who were fearful that they couldn’t do enough, and not of those who were afraid they were doing too much. Progress comes by letting good men do their best. And we assume much when we assume the power and privilege of wasting human energies, of making needed things scarce, or of retarding the progress of men. Either men are free to work, or they are not free at all; for work, even for its own sake, is essential to happiness, as well as for what it creates. Of course, free men must also have their freedom not to work—but it is written: “Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.” “Blessed is he who has found his work” —and who pursues it with all his mind and strength.