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I think often of our society’s obsession with the dichotomy between “hard work” and “laziness.” In many people’s minds, there are two options–you work hard (LIKE A SAINT) or you don’t (LIKE A RESOURCE-SUCKING LAMPREY). Of course, most of us acknowledge that nuance is more the rule of human life than the exception, yet we continue to retreat to binaries when our brains need a rest from all this complex thought. The American conception of “hard work” is a rather insidious example of how we’ve allowed nebulous doctrines to govern our lives.
but…but…hard work is good, Brendan.
Yes, so goes the refrain from a lifetime of indoctrination, dear reader, but in what context? If we value work over all other things, then hard work towards destructive means must be good as well, because at least you’re working hard!
What’s the actual value of work, though? Is it production? What is being produced? Is the necessity of work to aid in human happiness and satisfaction? If it is, then I think we’re kind of messing that one up. Is it for survival? If so, why do we work so much to create, buy, and discard things that do not aid in our survival?
We can’t even agree on what the purpose of “work” is, yet we insist upon its moral value. Incredibly terrible things have been done through hard work, and many of the terrible things in our history (some which persist to this day) were only about work. Work is not a moral necessity, and it isn’t a reflection of individual character. Hard work must be viewed through the same lens.
When we praise diligence, we should be careful to acknowledge what it is about that diligence that is praiseworthy. If I created a job that required a person to punch themselves in the face repeatedly, and they were paid per punch, they would probably end up punching their own face a lot. They’d probably be incentivized to work hard–they’d be extremely diligent. And yet, who cares? No one really benefits, but this is hard work. We expect so much work from those who are forced to punch themselves in the face every day, yet we fail to reward them with anything more than the minor incentive of money (which varies wildly depending on a person’s socioeconomic situation, race, gender).
This is coming from someone who relies almost exclusively on diligence. I’m not particularly smart, athletic, or naturally creative. I work intensely and intently for the things that I pursue, but I’m not above recognizing the fault in my value system. I was indoctrinated too. I expect hard work from myself and my students. I even expect it from friends and family. Yet I’ve learned to unsubscribe from the notion that work has any inherent value. The value is in the mission, and if the mission requires work to achieve, then you do what must be done. If the mission is mindfulness, and mindfulness is only acquired through sweeping the stairs for two hours every morning, then we must know that the value is not in the sweeping. The sweeping is a tool and nothing more.
It’s easy to say that this is the rambling of a person who doesn’t know the value of hard work–though I do. I understand what work feels like; I’ve done plenty of it. I also understand that hard work is too often used as a way to demean those who don’t fit into our ideals and expectations. If someone is bad, it’s usually because they are “lazy” among other things. If someone is good, it’s almost always because they “work hard.” I don’t care how hard a person works if their mission is poorly conceived or destructive.
None of us should praise someone simply for “working hard” if we don’t first consider what that means. We also shouldn’t trust a person who credits only “hard work” as their key to success. That’s a lie–success in anything requires SO much more than hard work: luck (statistically that’s a big one, but don’t tell a rich person that), strategy, talent, education, health, geography, etc. We must stop using hard work as a metric for a person’s character. We can only expect diligence from ourselves and others if the purpose is good. If we aren’t working hard for something, then why are we working at all?
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Previously published here and reprinted with the author’s permission.
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Photo by Martin Péchy on Unsplash