Sometimes, one line in one book, a little grouping of words and concepts, can change your entire perspective on a particular subject - or maybe even life in general. That happened to me (J)recently while I was reading Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. The Prophet is a short collection of poetic essays written by the great Lebanese-American poet, philosopher and artist. It is straight-up one of the best books I’ve ever laid hands on.
In the essay, “On Work,” Gibran drops the following bomb:
“But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.” He continues . . . “Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.”
Everytime I get together with my friends, our conversations inevitably turn to work. Most of us do not enjoy our jobs, particulary those of us who are not self-employed. I, personally, work pretty hard - about 55 hours per week. My primary motivation for choosing to work in this manner is to create a family situation where my wife, Ike’s Mama, is not forced to work while our children are very young. Ike’s Mama often worries about me because I work so much. But I try to explain that I am more than willing and happy to sacrifice some of my personal happiness for my family. In other words, I work for the “support of the flesh” and it’s a reflection of my love for them “made visible.” Perhaps our lives could be infinitely more peaceful if we all reflected on work in this way. Work sustains us all, so it’s really an act of love.
Filed under: Life
