Tomorrow is Labor Day in America. This is a holiday legislated in 1894 to recognize the essential role of workers in the fabric of our society and the struggles they have faced to gain dignity, fair wages, benefits and protection. Those conflicts continued to resurface, as new technology shifted the expectations of society and work roles in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th. In 2023, the rapidly expanding role of Artificial Intelligence and the increasing hazards of climate change bring renewed struggles to American workers. The concept of "work" continues to evolve.
There are countless aspects to the idea and meaning of work. In the early formation of psychiatry, Freud wrote, “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness, ” thereby establishing the significance of productive work in the human psyche. Work is one of the ways that we maintain inner equilibrium. Yet, work conflicts have the power to disrupt our emotional balance. Culturally, work is connected to social identity. Work can mean birth to something new--work as a creative process (we use the "labor" to describe childbirth). And both Eastern and Western religious traditions have the concept of "work is worship". Spirituality is not just a matter of ideas, emotions and belief, but ultimately means action in congruence with those beliefs.
Once, while driving through a busy shopping area with my spiritual teacher U.G, a young woman--maybe still in her teens--stepped off the curb. midway through a street with no crosswalk or light, in a hurried attempt to cross through the traffic. U.G. (with the window rolled up) spoke to her with sharp concern, "Don't do that girlie. You still have to contribute your share!" Rationality told me she could not possibly have heard him, but she immediately pulled back and waited. We drove on, but his phrase was reverberating in me: "You still have to contribute your share." Share of what? Contribute to Who/What? Different possibilities floated through my mind. Finally I was left with the clarity that whatever "Life" is, we each as unique individuals, play a part in the Whole of Creation. Work is participation and contribution.
Tomorrow is your holiday in the larger field of workers and labor in 2023. Enjoy it. Today, is ripe for reflection: Your life--as it is--is your contribution. (Susan Nettleton)
Poetic thoughts on Work: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse...
https://allpoetry.com/.../14373945-To-be-of-use-by-Marge...