To Work or Not to Work

ONE OF the vital factors in the success or failure of any generation, or of any people, is the attitude which they have toward work. By some, work is looked upon as a privilege and a pleasure; to some, it would seem to be a doubtful duty; to some, a distasteful necessity. No doubt at any given time there are those who do not work because seemingly they cannot find work that is agreeable to them; and no doubt among this number are those who would particularize to a fine point as to the kind of work they are willing to do. Of course, work that is congenial or possible to some is not congenial or possible to others, because no two men are identical in their gifts or skills; and it goes without saying that the ideal situation is for everyone to be able to do the kind of work he likes best to do_in other words, for everyone to have a job made to his measure. But conditions are seldom ideal, and there are times when it may come to a choice between doing work which we don’t especially like to do or doing no work at all. Then come these unavoidable questions: To what extent is a man justified in refusing to do any work merely because he cannot write his own order? To what extent is he justified in living by other men’s labors while work begs to be done, and while he sits idly by? These are difficult questions, but perhaps they suggest their own answers; for if we were justified in refusing to do any work until we found a tailor-made job, most of us would be justified in never working, because few of us ever find a situation that precisely suits us. Thus all of us could justify ourselves in idleness, merely by the assertion that we cannot find agreeable work. But if all men should withhold their labor, soon no man would eat. And now a closing word to him who may be discouraged as to his work: Ask yourself honestly: “Would you hire yourself?” “Could you afford to hire yourself?” If you can answer satisfactorily, the chances are you will not long be unhappy in your labor. But your answer must take into account the unalterable fact that no individual, nor the world itself, can long afford to hire a man who spends more than he makes, who takes more than he produces, or who withholds his best efforts. There is scriptural testimony for the truth that “the labourer is worthy of his hire,”2 and it is no less true that any honest work we undertake to do is worthy of our earnest and ungrudging effort. Whether ours is the best job in the world or not, if we treat it as if it were, our chances of finding work we like better will be much greater.