Work is both a virtue and a blessing. Ponder that tomorrow as you celebrate what may be the nation's least pondered holiday.
Here's a quick history lesson. Labor Day started on Sept. 2, 1882, in New York City when a union, the Knights of Labor, organized a parade up Fifth Avenue and a day off work. The organizers hoped for a turnout of 30,000, but only about a third of that showed up. Most people, the New York Times speculated, preferred to spend the day at Coney Island or in some other leisure pursuit.
And so it has been ever since. In an irony of sorts, Americans celebrate the virtues and blessings of labor on the first Monday of September by not doing any of it. That is entirely appropriate, but it remains important, particularly in this time of near full employment, to ponder what it all means.
Much is made these days about the executive who attends conference calls on a cell phone while running on a treadmill at the gym or who multi-tasks on a computer that allows him or her to shop for a gift and keep track of stock quotes at the same time. Many Americans are obsessed with work. Unfortunately, few understand what it provides, other than money.
At its most basic level, work is self-affirming. It gives the laborer a feeling of self-worth; the dignity of knowing he or she has contributed something of value to society. This sense of validation naturally leads people to feel community pride and to take an interest in owning and maintaining personal property. That, in turn, contributes to a stable and orderly nation and allows the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive and lead to even greater progress.
Beyond the sense of pride is the joy of knowing one has provided a product or service that can be enjoyed by others or used to provide a need. Work and service go hand in hand, and they help build a sense of connection and brotherhood among people.
While doing all this, the laborer helps bring about his or her own dreams, providing a stable home for a family or enhancing personal opportunities.
Americans seldom have had it as good economically as they do now. Work is plentiful. Wages are, for the most part, decent. But the real wages of labor go far beyond the dollars and cents left in the pocket after taxes.
Ponder that tomorrow while the barbecue sizzles, and pause to give thanks for the blessings the day represents.