Work

“You will eat the fruit of your labour.” (Psalm 128)

I’ve always had a strong work ethic; if someone was willing to pay me to perform work then I always felt compelled to do the best I could. They trusted me, and would reward me, so I took the responsibility to fulfill my end of the bargain. This work ethic though is not universal. I’ve worked with many people who reluctantly participate in the workforce, doing as little as possible, or performing substandard work. So where does this strong work ethic come from? It’s almost as though it’s intrinsically built into my constitution, something that phycologists might defined as conscientiousness (one of 5 personality traits):

“Conscientiousness is a fundamental personality trait … that reflects the tendency to be responsible, organized, hard-working, goal-directed, and to adhere to norms and rules. Like the other core personality factors, it has multiple facets; conscientiousness comprises self-control, industriousness, responsibility, and reliability.”(1)

True as this may be i.e. that some people are higher in conscientiousness than others, there is still a fundamental question on the notion of work itself, as work is only a vehicle to display conscientiousness. So, what is work? Why is it necessary? Because many people will say that they find purpose and meaning in their work, they are career driven…