Editorial: The value of honest labor

Labor Day marks the bookend on summertime. Initially established to honor the contributions of America's workers, particularly those organized into unions, the long holiday weekend now seems more focused on providing a last hurrah for summertime outdoor activities and punctuating the transition into autumn's routines.

But as millions of American workers remain sidelined in our barely growing economy, Labor Day provides a moment to reflect on the importance of work and how work's intrinsic value is threatened in our contemporary society.

Psychologists who study happiness have discovered through clinical research what sages have known for millennia: that few things bring as much satisfaction as effortful activity to solve a problem, improve some corner of the world or provide a service. As the Old Testament teaches, "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet."

Work has a spiritual dimension. In the process of toiling honestly to add value to the lives of others, one builds character, confidence and community. And to the extent skill and effort grow together, men and women can experience excellence and accomplishment through their daily labors. In short, work allows one to participate with the Creator in the process of creation.

There are, however, several forces that are corroding our work ethic. Among the most pernicious and perennial is the "get rich quick" myth, holding out the hope of material abundance through scheming or gaming or outright fraud. Not far behind has been the hyper-availability of credit that allowed for consumption before income.

But some of the challenges to perpetuating our work ethic are subtler. Throughout most of history, parents taught their children the value of work through direct example and participation. Family farms and family firms provided ample opportunity for children to observe, learn and perform simple tasks that contributed directly to the family's well-being.

Specialization, however, makes such direct inculcation of skill and work ethic harder. Whereas a family chore left undone on the farm left a trail of natural consequences, urban families have to create consequences when a mundane domestic chore is skipped. And it is almost impossible for children to mimic the knowledge-based, software-driven or instrumentally specialized work of the modern workplace within daily family life.