Today is labor day and it is a holiday, rest day for some, while for others, a time to voice out their concerns on the street. This shows us a clear difference: those who enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor and those whose fruits are not enough. If this tells us anything, it is that labor is seen as working for wages. In this age of consumerism, labor is a commodity; men are simply numbers, and statistics. As society have put a high value on wealth and financial success, labor lost its essence as a vocation or calling.

In a society that puts price on everything, more and more people will be inclined to find the fastest and easiest way make money without hard work since for them labor is just a means to an end. This kind of thinking gave rise to best-selling books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, The 4-day Work Week, business models like multi-level marketing, and even gave rise to Prosperity gospel and manifest philosophy.

Before I move, I just want to make it clear the I am not against being rich or the rich. Not even against income made from investments, an example of making money work for you (a rich dad poor dad principle) because investments promote private property, a Catholic principle, and investments are also necessary since they safeguard human dignity. And in most cases, the money that has been invested was a result of labor.

One of my heroes in business is Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese industrialist and founder of Panasonic. In one of his essays, he warns us on the effects of earning easy money as it takes away the value of hard work. This is in line with “wealth without work” principle, which Gandhi thinks is a “deadly sin” as it affects the man, and the society he is in. What they are against is the idea that there is such a short cut to making money as a result of labor as commodity.

In this modern age of easy money, hacks and short cuts, one needs not lose sight of the value of labor as vocation or calling which is higher than simply making a living for leisure and personal gains.

Labor is an essential part of human life as it makes good use of one’s natural talents, and not a necessary evil. Through one’s talents, one makes a living that can contribute to the well-being of their family and improvement of communities.

One learns to be excellent in small things as he is engaged in skilled and meaningful work that requires knowledge, experience, and creativity. Work then becomes a source of pride as one seeks to perfect his craft, recognizing that the quality of his work is a reflection of his own character and values.

Labor provides a deep sense of purpose and meaning as one recognizes that his labor has a direct impact on the well-being of those around him, and takes this responsibility seriously. The purpose and meaning adds to his dignity regardless of status and prestige of his work.

Labor also provides a sense of humility as one sees that his labor is meant as a service to others as he puts others before himself. Labor seen from the perspective of service can become a source of fulfillment.

Labor as vocation sounds so pious that it seems no successful person sees labor that way. Not for Matsushita. In his book “Not for Bread Alone,” Matsushita wrote: “Work is not just a means of making a living. It is a means of finding fulfillment and of contributing to the welfare of society.” Matsushita is a participant in the philosophy that labor is a vocation. He made use of his natural talents in electronics by founding one of the largest companies in the world. He excelled in the little things when he made a small improvement in bike lights, when he created a bike lamp with batteries that lasted longer than others that created a big impact on bicycle riders’ safety. Imagine that this is the 1920’s, a time when most bike lights used gas lamps. He didn’t mind the status or prestige of his job when he put up a small shop to be able to provide for his wife, and continued to work until it became big. He saw labor as a service rather than try to make money quick.

Today, also happens to be the feast day of St. Joseph the worker and I cannot help but mention how Matsushita reflects the qualities of St. Joseph the worker, a carpenter, who recognized the value of labor regardless of status, the importance of skills and talent, the responsibility of being a provider and putting others first.

Work for the sake of work, work seen as a commodity, leads man to look for ways to make easy money. Easy money may bring you wealth but it certainly doesn’t provide you with the fulfillment one gets from the physical and mental exertion that creates products and services that is meaningful, and purposeful when one see the value of labor as vocation.

I read this article from OpusDei.org about the morality of human actions and the content of which is something that was discussed previously in one of our circles. Allow me to share it and apply in the context of work.

I cannot help but notice that since the past decade, people value so much to the word authenticity. We can even hear the words of Pinoy Big Brother Housemates say, “nagpapakatotoo”. Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but cringe. It appears to me that what they are trying to say is this: I say what I feel or do as I feel even if it is hurtful because the most important is what I feel. This makes feelings, not objective truth, the most important thing in this world.

It is first important to differentiate passion from action. Passion is our feelings and actions is our voluntary act. Anger from a word we find offensive, happiness hearing of being awarded, or sadness of hearing a friend resigning are feelings, or according to the article, “psychic states which occur without our consent (to which we are, so to speak, passive subjects), are commonly called feelings or passions.” Voluntary acts on the other hand are how we respond to happiness, sadness or anger. Throwing a punch or keeping quiet when angry are voluntary acts, but one is directed towards good and the other, not.

In the world of work, uneducated feelings cannot rule our actions. And this is one of the foundations in building one’s professionalism and work integrity. If negative feelings rule our actions, we will be inconsistent in our productivity, teamwork relationship and come up with inconsistent quality of work.

Yes, you read that right, feelings can be directed and educated and it does not mean you lose your authenticity. When I say educating the feelings, I am referring to the process of becoming more aware of our emotions, understanding where they come from, and learning how to regulate and express them in a healthy way.

The article states the downside of not educating our feelings, “If the inner world of feelings is not guided and educated, it will be difficult to discern what is good, because the negative passions darken the mind, and one will often yield to them and do wrong, and the continual struggle may well lead to discouragement or exhaustion.” In other words uneducated feelings will be an obstacle to our work and life.

Contrary to what media is telling us to do, to be “authentic”, I suggest we go a different route, to educate the feelings. In Christian formation and life, it is crucial to educate oneself about the complex realm of emotions. This involves shaping and cultivating our feelings in a positive and Christian manner, so that our spontaneous emotions can aid us in discerning and performing good deeds quickly, accurately, and pleasantly. The way to regulate our passions is to develop good moral habits or virtues such as prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, which can alter the underlying inclinations that give rise to our emotions. When our feelings are ordered by virtue, we are naturally drawn towards doing what is good.

In the context of work, someone who is virtuous practices integrity. They are honest and shows more consistency in the output of their work. This leads people to trust them better. They also practice humility by understanding their limits, so they ask for feedback and are open to constructive criticisms. Since they know their limits, they also improve themselves. They also practice prudence so they are more careful with their decisions. They do their research or consult more people before arriving at a decision. Finally, they demonstrate courage. They are not just afraid to make decisions and be accountable for the results, they also speak up when there is something that is not aligned to their values.

Directing our feelings towards the good is essential to our personal life and professional life. Educated feelings lead to right actions in personal life and professionalism in work life, and this is done by cultivating virtues.

I am in south of Manila, in my client’s office to deliver a one-day training. They have been my client for the past 5 years and I already have a feel of their needs. I left early from my place to be sure that I won’t get stuck in traffic. Good thing I got here 2 hours before the start of the training.

I have a good first impression of their office building, it is beautiful to say the least. The Japanese inspired architecture is a 2-story building cladded in black and silver, punctuated by vertical picture windows. In the middle is a Zen Garden, an open space full of sunlight with a lone tree protected by a bench. Unfortunately, I do not have a name for the tree. I can only describe it, its branches pointed towards heaven, it leaves look like clasped hands grateful for where it is. Inside the building are walls, and floor mostly of wood, and carpet flooring in some areas to balance the masculine façade.

I do not hear noise. I only hear percolating water and the sound of footsteps from time to time. By this time, after the morning break, people are already in the grove. They are already in their areas working, trying to hit every number in the target. In spite of that, I sense no pressure. That tells me of great leaders who know they work with responsible and accountable people. The good in work and the truth in trusting people makes the place more beautiful.

I also have worked with companies with poor working environment: areas disorganized, dirty and gloomy. People work for the sake of working, living and surviving. There is no spirit, no soul. People come in the morning tired already, leaving the place happy like they have been freed from prison. They company may be making money but that is it, nothing more, no beauty, and nothing that which pleases the eyes.

Most of the time poor environment is a sign of poor leadership and nice environment is a sign of sound leadership unless the values it cultivates is that of not good and untrue which harvests an ugly and gloomy environment.

Beauty is what I used to describe the space, the atmosphere and the environment. Is it beauty that brings good leadership or the other way around? I do not know. I have no answer. It is a chicken and egg issue. But beauty, whether brought by leadership or culture does something. What is it the beauty does?  

Beauty is an abstract concept and depends on how one defines beauty, at least in what is seen by the eyes. Beauty, as we know, leads to positive emotions which translates to happy and productive employees. We have experienced that, the power of a nice environment and good leaders. But the point is not really about beauty creating a cocktail of positive emotions, a drug that make us focused at work.

It is more than that, deeper than that, more profound than that. Beauty transcends the senses and connects directly to our spirit, it communicates to us through our intuition. Beauty aligns us with God. Experiencing that which is beautiful is seeing from the eyes of God.