A labor of love
Today in the United States is celebrated as Labor Day; a day borne out of the fight for the just treatment of those who labor to produce, create, and deliver essential goods for those who themselves were no longer producing what is needed for survival. Many in the labor market in the United States continue to struggle to be treated with respect and dignity. Many others go to work to do jobs they find non-essential; jobs where it seems meaningful, needed work is not available, but are “necessary” to keep people employed. We live in country where work is often valued for its own sake rather than for how much it contributes to the welfare of the community.
Most of us need to know that we are contributing to the health of our family and community. The word work does not always connote the extent to which one is contributing. Often the only activity that we term work is that which produces a paycheck which contains the name of the person. If one is a homemaker or doing volunteer work one is not valued in the same way. Unless one is thus “gainfully” employed or has an independent source of income which allows one to purchase health insurance and a retirement plan one is viewed as having “free time”. If one is lucky enough to sell one’s product - artwork, writing, music, work work, food products - and thereby support oneself - one may, often reluctantly, be termed a worker bee.
In these United States one is lauded for being “at work” even when it means that one ignores the emotional and spiritual needs of one’s family. One may learn to believe if one is providing a domicile, cars, and brand named products one is doing one job as spouse and parent.
The Reverend David Smith speaking at the All Souls Unitarian church in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 5, 2021 reminded the gathered community that there is the work of the mind, the heart and the hand. Work of the mind entails ensuring that one does not fall into the trap of allowing a thin slice of reality filtered through one’s limited experience to form one’s thoughts or beliefs; work of the heart is that work of reaching beyond fear - beyond the illusion of time and trusting that it is safe to love without labels or dualities; work of the hand is physical labor whether that be cooking a meal, building a house, mowing the lawn or keying in symbols as I am doing on this computer. They are all equally valuable and necessary. A few of us may not be able to physically use some of our limbs. A few may be so mentally or emotionally disabled that we can only function at a basic survival level. Breathing/survival may be one’s primary work.
Some of us find both hand work and mind work relatively easy and painless. The work of the heart may be more challenging. With my mind I find it easy to “know” that all are equally deserving of love and respect. With my heart I may find loving unconditionally a challenge.
We live in a time when it is not only easy to negatively judge another person, but to find many who will support our judging. We can use social medial to spread our judgment across the oceans of time and space. Our circle of support can enlarge or shrink in a nano second. All of us can easily get a lot of support for foregoing the work of the heart. Differences of opinion about a range of social, spiritual and political issues can easily be fed until they form walls thicker than the Berlin Wall or the border wall some were eager to build. I am fascinated with the fact that if one visits sections of the wall built to separate Mexico and the United States, on the United States side one is often greeted with people in uniforms with guns and stark, harsh looking walls. On the Mexico side one often finds art and music which may depict protests but also celebrations. Mexicans or those waiting on the Mexican side may be desperate, hungry, and frustrated but one seldom finds hate. Confusion and exhaustion perhaps but not hate. The United States has often characterized the wall as keeping out criminals and drug smugglers despite the number of those seeking refuge are parents with young children. If left up to children one will see a see saw cutting through the wall when not prevented by a physical steel barrier. Children on both sides of the border find a way to build and share a playground of equals.
On this Labor Day in the United States some of us may want to celebrate and nurture the work of the heart; to follow the example of the children who move beyond socially constructed and labeled differences to celebrate the fact that we are one family who need each other if we are to continue to live on this planet in this universe. Thanks to the Reverend David for reminding us to use Labor Day to use our mind to reframe our thoughts, our hands to love each other and our hearts to celebrate our interdependence and ability to connect with love.
Written September 6, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Today in the United States is celebrated as Labor Day; a day borne out of the fight for the just treatment of those who labor to produce, create, and deliver essential goods for those who themselves were no longer producing what is needed for survival. Many in the labor market in the United States continue to struggle to be treated with respect and dignity. Many others go to work to do jobs they find non-essential; jobs where it seems meaningful, needed work is not available, but are “necessary” to keep people employed. We live in country where work is often valued for its own sake rather than for how much it contributes to the welfare of the community.
Most of us need to know that we are contributing to the health of our family and community. The word work does not always connote the extent to which one is contributing. Often the only activity that we term work is that which produces a paycheck which contains the name of the person. If one is a homemaker or doing volunteer work one is not valued in the same way. Unless one is thus “gainfully” employed or has an independent source of income which allows one to purchase health insurance and a retirement plan one is viewed as having “free time”. If one is lucky enough to sell one’s product - artwork, writing, music, work work, food products - and thereby support oneself - one may, often reluctantly, be termed a worker bee.
In these United States one is lauded for being “at work” even when it means that one ignores the emotional and spiritual needs of one’s family. One may learn to believe if one is providing a domicile, cars, and brand named products one is doing one job as spouse and parent.
The Reverend David Smith speaking at the All Souls Unitarian church in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 5, 2021 reminded the gathered community that there is the work of the mind, the heart and the hand. Work of the mind entails ensuring that one does not fall into the trap of allowing a thin slice of reality filtered through one’s limited experience to form one’s thoughts or beliefs; work of the heart is that work of reaching beyond fear - beyond the illusion of time and trusting that it is safe to love without labels or dualities; work of the hand is physical labor whether that be cooking a meal, building a house, mowing the lawn or keying in symbols as I am doing on this computer. They are all equally valuable and necessary. A few of us may not be able to physically use some of our limbs. A few may be so mentally or emotionally disabled that we can only function at a basic survival level. Breathing/survival may be one’s primary work.
Some of us find both hand work and mind work relatively easy and painless. The work of the heart may be more challenging. With my mind I find it easy to “know” that all are equally deserving of love and respect. With my heart I may find loving unconditionally a challenge.
We live in a time when it is not only easy to negatively judge another person, but to find many who will support our judging. We can use social medial to spread our judgment across the oceans of time and space. Our circle of support can enlarge or shrink in a nano second. All of us can easily get a lot of support for foregoing the work of the heart. Differences of opinion about a range of social, spiritual and political issues can easily be fed until they form walls thicker than the Berlin Wall or the border wall some were eager to build. I am fascinated with the fact that if one visits sections of the wall built to separate Mexico and the United States, on the United States side one is often greeted with people in uniforms with guns and stark, harsh looking walls. On the Mexico side one often finds art and music which may depict protests but also celebrations. Mexicans or those waiting on the Mexican side may be desperate, hungry, and frustrated but one seldom finds hate. Confusion and exhaustion perhaps but not hate. The United States has often characterized the wall as keeping out criminals and drug smugglers despite the number of those seeking refuge are parents with young children. If left up to children one will see a see saw cutting through the wall when not prevented by a physical steel barrier. Children on both sides of the border find a way to build and share a playground of equals.
On this Labor Day in the United States some of us may want to celebrate and nurture the work of the heart; to follow the example of the children who move beyond socially constructed and labeled differences to celebrate the fact that we are one family who need each other if we are to continue to live on this planet in this universe. Thanks to the Reverend David for reminding us to use Labor Day to use our mind to reframe our thoughts, our hands to love each other and our hearts to celebrate our interdependence and ability to connect with love.
Written September 6, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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