I found this interesting article, The War on Work, from the Politics & Ideas section of the November issue of the Commentary on my desk this morning, sent me again by my friend Chuck. Written by Barbara Swaim, an editorial-page writer to the Wall Street Journal, she presents a historical sketch of work’s evolvement up to the current mass exodus from the working world, dubbed as the “Great Resignation” by economists.
Swaim mentions Nicholas Eberstadt’s 2016 book “Men Without Work” and it’s post-pandemic reissue of the book. She limits her broad comments to four sectors: government, higher education, consultancy, and nonprofit. Earthy in her perspective, she offers her father’s 25 years of operating a small ocean front SC lodge as an example of the core of dignified work: It blesses someone else. In fact, the first to work with a meaning and an end was God Himself.
Swaim draws from such as Tocqueville, Marx, the 1991 film “Slacker;” even Jonathan Swift’s memorable parodies of Lemuel Gulliver vain delusions while visiting the Academy of Lagado. She identifies that much of the confusion today in the four sectors she examines, arise from a misunderstanding of what their markets are. Markets are the oldest and commonest way to distinguish between things that have value and things that don’t.
Unquestionably, this article is way beyond my norm, and I think that is good. I need to mentally stretch daily. Neither do I recall a sermon recently on the attributes of work, though many imply attachments. Hence, I’ll open this can of worms. Understand though, these worms have no nutritional value, if that thought even crossed your mind!
Click on the link below to open the article. Be warned the article though long, is easily and effectively skimmed.