Work and Leisure and God

Here are some excerpts from Froma Harrop's column of June 26, 2012, “Summer means work, not leisure” which speak to exactly what I have observed in this country particularly since the 1960s and which have frustrated me to no extent.

“….........The early part of the 20^th century saw a huge leap in productivity, whereby workers could churn out the same amount of goods and services in less time. Utopian big thinkers predicted a four-hour workday in the not-distant future. More modestly, organized labor began agitating for a 40-hour week. “

“Industrialists at the time said: 'Hey wait a minute. We're shoving truckloads of new products out the the factory door. Toasters, refrigerators, automobiles. Who is going to buy our stuff if the workers – rather than putting in the hours to make more money – go fishing instead?”

“............Thus was born the 'New Economic Gospel of consumption.” Advertising fueled the demand.”

“An example of a modern practitioner would be the neighbor working two jobs to pay off credit cards and extravagant mortgage. Note that the conveyor belt of new consumer products has not slowed. Many are relatively recent inventions that we can't even see – data plans for iPads and cellphones, cellphone service or the Cadillac package of digital cable channels.”

“All-work, all-the-time was not a cemented virtue in our early culture according to Hunnicutt. Moral authorities before the 1920s believed that a reduction in labor would lead to 'human betterment.' There would be more time for family, community service and spiritual growth. As a further blessing, workers could use the freed hours to engage in the craftsmanship that the machine age took away.”

“...............Hunnicut quoted firebrand theologian Jonathan Edwards. A leader in the religious 'Great Awakening' of the mid-18^th century, Edwards praised labor-saving devices as a means to free up time for worship. “There will be so many contrivances and inventions to facilitate and expedite their necessary secular business,” Edwards said, “that they (the saints) will have more time for more noble exercise...” “

“Since 1973 worker productivity has risen 80 percent, while median hourly compensation (wages and benefits, adjusted for inflation) has gone up less than 11 percent. That means most workers these days are producing more in the same time, but without appropriate rewards either in money or shortened hours. Senior executives and Wall Street grabbed most of the return from higher productivity.”

        Bravo to this article. It really spoke to my identical feelings. But not only do we have neither the deserved income or free time, we have been pushed into a debt spiral on the individual level, that many cannot even pay off that debt anymore. And yet, industry keeps telling us BUY, BUY, BUY. And all too many fall blindly into the trap.

Worship – not just in church, but even alone, at home, is something our country knows little of, and if aware, sneers at it.

How surprised man will be when facing the Lord – and He asks “what did you do for me?” “ Oh, I created many e- programs so we can message each other more and faster and longer.” “ Sorry, that was not your job – you were to love me, and follow my plans and reach out to others to bring them awareness of me. You failed the test.”