On this Labor Day in the United States, I celebrate work and express thanksgiving for the ability I have to do the work that I love.
When I hear people boast about their own hard work being the reason for their financial success, I laugh. Hard work does matter and matters greatly: the great inventions and ideas that have transformed our society do not spontaneously generate. Yet so much of our innovation is built upon the innovation of the past. The whole internet generation of work, including this blog, is made possible because of a world wide web that preceded it. Without the infrastructure of the past, we could not enjoy the innovation of the present and the promise of the future.
One of the greatest gifts of life is when you can live to work rather than work to live. This is much easier for some than others, but it is a state of consciousness, a resolution, that we can hold firm. I view work as a gift from God, not as a curse, and the value of hard work can be seen on a personal level and on an aggregate level through a flourishing society.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
