Many of you already know that Atlas Shrugged is one of my favorite books. If you haven't read it, take a year and take the plunge. It has forever changed the way I think. This is not to say that I agree with everything that is written in the book but you know when you are reading something and think, that's a great line i should write it down. There is a 50 page section were every sentence is 'a great line'. I didn't write it down, but I did 'like' Atlas Shrugged on Facebook and it posts one of those great lines everyday. Here's todays:
They know that there's no such thing as a lousy job–only
lousy men who don't care to do it.
I am once again amazed by the perspective on work that my students have. Yesterday I was out a recess at the end of the day and a student comes up to me and asks how much longer until the recess was over. I told him 10 minutes. He then responded that "we are all glad because then Friday is over and we can all go home. Everyone wants to go home on Friday because everyone hates work and hates their job." WHAT?! I quickly responded that I love going to work. He then talked at me about it for another 3 minutes, which I tuned out because I didn't like his opinion. We all have a right to our opinion and the right to ignore the opinions of others. So I did.
My parents have always taught me the importance of work and thankfully we have all been given the opportunity to work. Does the above quote mean that there aren't places of employment that are lousy. Not at all. I know plenty of admirable people who have hated or currently hate their job. I in fact was not too keen on teaching last year. It was not the work that was lousy though, it was the situation. If you read Atlas Shrugged you find that it is focused on intellectual, hard-working heroes who quit their work and go off grid. They didn't hate the work they were simply no longer willing to let others control their will to work. They didn't go to a place and sit around all day reveling in their genius. No they escaped and began their own society where they were required to perform the run of the mill jobs necessary to survive. They thrived and enjoyed the peace that comes when you make or do something meaningful.
Work is an eternal principle and if we want to enjoy mortality and beyond it is important that we learn to enjoy and care about the work we do.
