It’s probably been instilled in you since you were knee high to the proverbial grasshopper. Work hard. And, no doubt that ethic will get you places.
Every day heroes. The father who shows up for the same job day in, day out, and physically works hard – overtime, even – at the factory to provide food and shelter for his family.
Then there’s the executive who shows up for the same job, day in, day out, and mentally works hard – overtime even – in the office to maintain his lavish lifestyle.
There’s work, then there’s work. Some of us work with our hands and some of us work with our brains, and we all arrive at the end of our life with either a worn out body or a worn out soul.
Does the advocate of the “four hour work week” – the dude who worked smarter instead of harder – get any less accolade than the one who toiled at physical labor? Usually he gets more. He’s praised as the one who makes millions doing nothing. We are teaching our up and coming workforce, our youth, that the rewards come from doing less and I worry where our future physical laborers are coming from.
Or maybe industry, as a whole, is moving towards the “smart workplace” – maybe there is no room for those whose only desire is an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Is physical labor a thing of the past?
So many questions that will probably only be answered with the passage of time. And while I feel I toil with my brain, there is physical labor too – even if it’s only because the dishwasher is broken!
