I liked what Thomas Merton had to say about work in New Seeds of Contemplation.
“If I am supposed to hoe a garden or make a table, then I will be obeying God if I am true to the task I am performing. To do the work carefully and well, with love and respect for the nature of my task and with due attention to its purpose, is to unite myself to God’s will in my work… Yet my work itself will purify and pacify my mind and dispose me for contemplation.”
I don’t think it really matters whether or not you believe in God. Labor is, and always has been, deeply spiritual. A while back, a quote floated around various social media sites in different flavors—something about “What is your dream job?” “Nothing. I don’t dream of labor.” I became sick of this quote. It’s true that most jobs today are alienating and exploitative. But work itself is decidedly not. I do dream of labor—I dream of a world in which my labor is meaningful and improves the lives of future generations.
In fact, I do not only dream of labor because it might create good for others. I dream of labor for its potential in creating good in me. I have felt it before—I enjoy laser focus and losing myself in my work. Even difficult, frustrating work. I think fondly back to homework that felt so hopelessly difficult that it made me cry and to days spent planting hundreds of plum saplings in my parents’ yard. Hard work makes me resilient and brings me satisfaction.
“…through no fault of our own we may have to work madly and distractedly, due to our sins, and to the sins of the society in which we live. In that case we must tolerate it and make the best of what we cannot avoid. But let us not be blind to the distinction between sound, healthy work and unnatural toil.”
Unfortunately, much of the work I do today seems to be “unnatural toil.” Based on the prevalence on social media of the quote I discussed earlier, I think many people feel the same. Lately, I’ve been searching for ways to prioritize what I consider “sound, healthy work” and eliminate what I consider “unnatural toil.” Simply making myself more aware of the meaningfulness of the work I’ve been doing has been illuminating for some of the dissatisfaction I’ve felt in life.
How much of your work is sound and healthy? How much of your work is unnatural toil?