Ethics of Work

How do people value each other? I was thinking of this when someone asked me what I did for a living. When I answered that I was unemployed I surprised her and myself as well.

Having lost a $30K a year job in five months was a big blow since I had never been able to plan on anything of my own before, having had limited income in the past. To make castles in the air and through no fault of my own (I later found many people in the company were hired and fired within five months) I lost all hope to make my plans a reality.

However, having some savings, living frugally, trading work for work and sharing in a community of people who value me, not for my work or what I can give them, just for my being me has taught me great lessons in humility, dependance on God and such peace that I would not trade this for any job in the world. Even after all the chicken and dog poop I've cleaned, ditches dug to save the house from flooding, house painting, carpentry, plumbing, laying down telephone cables in conduits 1/4 mile long, roof fixing, log splitting, hand-washing clothes, line drying, house cleaning and looking good while doing it I am glad I learned to fight shoulder to shoulder with others for what I have.

I can truly say that I DO work for a living, even though I don't see any paycheck at the end of the month. Trading my work's results with someone else's doesn't give me currency, but an excellent perspective on the work's true value.

No, I don't value people for the work they do. I value people for what they do with the work they value.

I do believe the one who doesn't fight for what he has it is taken from him. The United States has always shown this. When it was most satisfied with itself the nation lost since others took from it. When values began to fade the nation woke up and now is fighting to reclaim them. As people we all need to loose in order to appreciate a win. I may have lost, but, baby, I'm coming back.