An Argument for Work

I have been out of work for quite some time.  In the meantime, I have been working on various graduate degrees, which I hope will become “useful” in some capacity some day.  Passion for books and learning can sometimes bring much sorrow and confusion.  But it is not my troubles and frustrations that I want to speak of.  At least not directly. 

As I reflected on the past few years of my jobless existence, I begin to think what effects and implications such existence yields.  What does it mean to be out of work for a prolonged period of time?  I remembered something I read years ago, which was quite sensible and true, but it made no personal impact on me then.  They were words of Benedict XVI in his encyclical Caritas in veritate (Charity in truth).  He was discussing the meaning of labor and the significance of human work and wrote: “Being out of work or dependent on public or private assistance for a prolonged period undermines the freedom and creativity of the person and his family and social relationships, causing great psychological and spiritual suffering” (#25).

We tend not think in larger paradigms.  We tend to think in pieces, attempting to solve problems of the world quickly without noticing the connecting strands between one aspect of life and another.  Certainly, solving a problem must come in small steps.  But we must never lose the sight of a bigger picture, to use a worn-out expression.  What is included in the “bigger picture?”  As Benedict’s encyclical indicates, it involves human being’s spiritual and psychological health. 

Being out of work does not only mean being out of money, which is very important, especially if one has a family to take care of.  Let us not forget how significant the earning of money is.  People love to say that money does not make you happy.  Very true, but let me rephrase that: love of money does not make one happy.  But paying your bills on time, being able to buy good food for your family, perhaps even having some leftover money to go on a vacation—all those things can bring happiness.  But even more important factor brought by the unemployment is a decrease of the authentic Self, as one plunges deeply into an existential crisis. 

Is there a way to right the wrong and find some kind of plausible solution for the two-fold problem of unemployment?  Economically, as a society, we should strive to create a fertile ground in which a particular idea is able to grow into something bigger, useful, productive, and applicable.  Finding (and creating) assistance through various government programs should not be the first and immediate option.  It should be a last resort for either a citizen or the government itself.  Human creativity has little chance to flourish when it is faced with only one paradigm—complete reliance on the government.  Not only that, but the creativity will find itself imprisoned and unable to be articulated in the most appropriate way unique to each person.  What’s most obvious about an extended reliance on either public or private assistance is that it creates a temporary solution to a long term problem.

Like most problems, economic issues are not economic in cause.  I have mentioned that the problem of unemployment is two-fold—the other half of it being the decline of an authentic Self.  One of the meanings of an authentic life has to do with a human being living and working according to their gifts, which contribute to both the betterment of personal good (and the good of one’s family) as well as a communal good.  Authentic Self has to have a way to express that authenticity and work is simply another path or a vessel that makes the expression of each person’s uniqueness possible.  Let it be clear that this does not mean that only through work can a person be authentic.  Work is one more dimension in the diversity of human capacities. 

The authentic Self can remain inarticulated if it is denied a possibility to know him or herself.  How can this “knowledge” (a word I use loosely) be attained?  One way, and perhaps most important, is through an encounter with the Other (which can involve the Absolute Other/Beyond Being, that is God, or one’s fellow human being).  The encounter allows the Self to move away from the limiting vision of the mirror image of that very same Self and challenges the paradigm of excessive ego.

The issue of work is not just economical.  It is also existential.  When we think of unemployment issues, we like to throw out statistics which support one political outlook or another.  But behind every unemployment statistic, there is a human being, a face.  A face signifies dignity that each human being has, and deserves in an area of life, such as work.  This is also why we cannot dismiss problems such as poor working conditions that force people to live inhuman existence. 

I understand, as I conclude this short essay, that I have introduced many ideas connected to this particular problem.  At the same time, we have to know that what is at stake is the health and happiness of one’s soul, and that is a pretty big picture indeed.