The Law of Work

674. Is the necessity of labour a law of nature?

674. Is the need to work a law of nature?

"That labour is a law of nature is proved by the fact that it is a necessity, and that civilisation obliges man to perform a greater amount of labour, because it increases the sum of his needs and of his enjoyments."

"Work is a law of nature, as the fact that it is necessary proves. Civilization requires people to work more because it increases their needs and their pleasures."

675. Ought we to understand by "labour" only occupations of a material nature?

675. Does "labour" mean only physical work?

"No; the spirit labours like the body. Every sort of useful occupation is a labour."

"No. The spirit works just as the body does. Every kind of useful activity is work."

676. Why is labour imposed upon mankind?

676. Why are people required to work?

"It is a consequence of his corporeal nature. It is an expiation, and, at the same time, a means of developing his intelligence. Without labour man would remain in the infancy of intelligence. This is why he is made to owe his food, his safety, and his well-being entirely to his labour and activity. To him who is too weak in body for the rougher kinds of work, God gives intelligence to make up for it; but the action of the intelligence is also a labour."

"It is a consequence of his physical nature. It is a way of making amends and developing his intelligence. Without work, man's intelligence would remain in its infancy. This is why he must depend entirely on his work and activity for his food, safety, and well-being. If a man is physically too weak for harder kinds of work, God gives him intelligence to make up for it. But using intelligence is also work."

677. Why does nature herself provide for all the wants of the animals?

677. Why does nature itself provide for all the needs of animals?

"Everything in nature labours. The animals labour as really as you do, but their work, like their intelligence, is limited to the care of their own preservation; and this is why labour, among them, does not lead to progress, while, among men, it has a double aim, viz., the preservation of the body, and the development of thought, which is also a necessity for him, and which raises him continually to a higher level. When I say that the labour of the animals is limited to the care of their preservation, I mean that this is the aim which they propose to themselves in working. But they are also, unconsciously, and while providing only for their material needs, agents that second the views of the Creator; and their labour none the less concurs to the working out of the final end of nature, although you often fail to discover its immediate result."

"Everything in nature works. Animals work just as you do. But their work, like their intelligence, is limited to keeping themselves alive. That is why their work does not lead to progress. For humans, however, work has two aims: preserving the body and developing thought. Developing thought is also a human need, and it continually raises people to a higher level. When I say that animals work only to preserve themselves, I mean that this is their own aim. But even as they provide only for their material needs, they unconsciously help carry out the Creator's plans. Their work contributes no less to nature's ultimate purpose, although you often fail to see its immediate result."

678. In worlds more advanced than the earth, is man subjected to the same necessity of labour?

678. In worlds more advanced than Earth, do people have the same need to work?

"The nature of the labour is always relative to that of the wants it supplies; the less material are those wants, the less material is the labour. But you must not suppose that man, in those worlds, remains inactive and useless; idleness would be a torture instead of a benefit."

"The nature of work always depends on the needs it meets. The less material those needs are, the less material the work is. But you must not suppose that people in those worlds are inactive and useless. Idleness would be torture rather than a benefit."

679. Is he who possesses a sufficiency of worldly goods for his subsistence enfranchised from the law of labour?

679. Is someone who has enough to live on exempt from the law of work?

"From material labour perhaps, but not from the obligation of rendering himself useful according to his means, and of developing his own intelligence and that of others, which is also a labour. If the man, to whom God has apportioned a sufficiency of means for insuring his corporeal existence, be not constrained to win his bread by the sweat of his brow, the obligation of being useful to his fellow-creatures is all the greater in his case, because the portion appointed to him gives him a greater amount of leisure for doing good."

"Perhaps he is free from physical labor, but not from the duty to be useful according to his means. He must also develop his own intelligence and that of others, which is another kind of work. Suppose God has given a man enough to provide for his physical needs. If he does not have to earn his living through hard work, his duty to help others is all the greater. That is because what he has been given allows him more time to do good."

680. Are there not men who are incapable of working at anything whatever, and whose existence is entirely useless?

680. Aren't there men who are incapable of doing any work and whose existence is entirely useless?

"God is just; He condemns only him who is voluntarily useless; for such an one lives upon the labour of others. He wills that each should make himself useful according to his faculties." (643.)

"God is just. He condemns only those who choose to be useless, because they live off the labor of others. He wants everyone to be useful according to their abilities." (643.)

681. Does the law of nature impose upon children the obligation of labouring for their parents?

681. Does the law of nature require children to work for their parents?

"Certainly it Does, just as it imposes on parents the duty of labouring for their children. For this reason God has given a place in nature to the sentiment of filial and paternal affection, in order that the members of a family may be led, by their mutual affection, to aid each other reciprocally—a duty which is too often lost sight of in your present state of society."

"Certainly it does, just as it requires parents to work for their children. For this reason, God has made love between parents and children a part of nature. This love leads family members to help one another. In your present society, this duty is too often forgotten."

682. Rest being a necessity after labour, is it not a law of nature?

682. Since rest is necessary after work, isn't it a law of nature?

"Undoubtedly it is. Rest serves to restore the bodily powers, and is also necessary in order to give a little more freedom to the mind, enabling it to raise itself above matter."

"Of course it is. Rest restores the body's strength. It also gives the mind a little more freedom, allowing it to rise above matter."

683. What is the limit of labour?

683. What is the limit of work?

"The limit of strength; but God leaves man at liberty to decide this point for himself."

"The limit of strength. But God leaves people free to decide this for themselves."

684. What is to be thought of those who misuse their authority by imposing too heavy a labour on their inferiors?

684. What should we think of those who abuse their authority by making their subordinates work too hard?

"They commit one of the worst of crimes. Every man exercising authority is answerable for any excess of labour imposed by him on those who are under his orders, for he thereby transgresses the law of God." (273.)

"They commit one of the worst crimes. Every man in authority is responsible if he makes those under his command work too much. By doing so, he breaks God's law." (273.)

685. Has man a right to repose in old age?

685. Do people have a right to rest in old age?

"Yes; he is only obliged to labour according to his strength."

"Yes, he is only required to work according to his strength."

—But what resource is there for the old man who needs to work in order to support himself, and yet is unable to do so?

But what help is available to an old man who needs to work to support himself but cannot?

"The strong should work for the weak; where family help is not to be had, society should supply its place. Such is the law Of charity."

"The strong should work for the weak. When family cannot help, society should take its place. This is the law of charity."

To say that it is necessary for a man to work is not to make a complete statement of the subject; for it is also necessary that he who has to get his bread by his labour should be able to find occupation, and this is far from being always the case. Whenever the suspension of labour becomes general, it assumes the proportions of a famine. Economic science seeks a remedy for this evil in the equilibrium of production and consumption; but this equilibrium, supposing it to be attainable, will always be subject to intermittences, and during these intervals the labourer must live. There is an element of the question which has not been sufficiently considered, viz., education, not merely the education of the intellect, not even that of the moral nature as given by books, but that which consists in the formation of characters and habits; for education is the totality of the habits acquired. When we consider how great a mass of individuals are thrown each day into the torrent of population, abandoned, without principles or curb, to the impulsions of their animal instincts, can we wonder at the disastrous consequences thence resulting? When the art of education shall be rightly understood and practised, each man will bring into the sphere of daily life habits of order and forethought for himself and for those dependent on him, and of respect for what is worthy of being respected; and these habits will enable him to traverse periods of difficulty with greater ease. Disorder and improvidence are social sores that can only be cured by education rightly understood; the generalisation of such education is the starting-point and essential element of social well-being, the only pledge of security for all.

It is not enough to say that a person must work. Someone who must earn a living through labor must also be able to find work, and that is far from always possible. When unemployment becomes widespread, it reaches the scale of a famine. Economics seeks a remedy in a balance between production and consumption. But even if such a balance can be achieved, it will always be interrupted at times. During those periods, workers must still live. One part of the question has not received enough attention: education. This means more than intellectual education or even the moral education provided by books. It means the formation of character and habits, for education is the sum of the habits we acquire. Every day, great numbers of people enter the stream of society. They are left without principles or restraints, at the mercy of their animal instincts. When we consider this, can we wonder at the disastrous consequences? When the art of education is properly understood and practiced, each person will bring habits of order and foresight into daily life. These habits will serve both that person and those who depend on them. Each person will also bring habits of respect for what deserves respect. These habits will help people get through difficult periods more easily. Disorder and lack of foresight are social ills that can only be cured by education properly understood. Making such education available everywhere is the starting point and essential element of social well-being. It is the only guarantee of security for all.