Thomas Carlyle Labour, Know Thy Work

Thomas Carlyle provided us with many pieces of literature that held life lessons within them. One such piece that spoke volumes to me was Labour Know Thy Work. He speaks of work as having the ability to transform a person. As I read I could imagine a man becoming a man with “The blessed glow of Labour in him.” It was as if Labour being capitalized makes it almost like a being of power to come and fill up a man who works.

The first sentence caught my attention. “For there is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in Work.” The next sentence explains that a man is never without hope if he works hard. “There is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works.” (Paragraph 1). This is so true. Don’t we feel wonderful after a long days work? Carlyle goes on in the third paragraph to explain what the benefits of working can bring. “A man perfects himself by working. Foul jungles are cleared away, fair seedfields rise instead and stately cities; an withal the man himself first ceases to be a jungle and foul unwholesome desert thereby.” I believe Carlyle is saying word cleanses the soul of a man. Once cleansed the man begins to grow into something beautiful and strong like a stately city. Carlyle sums up his “Gospel” on work by saying “Doubt of whatever kind, can be ended by Action alone.”

How clear does this ring true for us today? This could easily have been written and published today for our generation. This piece truly spoke to me about someone in my family. This person is 25 years old. He has no full time job. He works just enough to pay his $300 rent each month. The rest of his money comes from his mother who has been forced to live with us. She is unable to pay both of their bills. With his lack of a job, he has all the time in the world to go to outdoor concerts in other states with his friends. We have not been on a vacation in five years. It really upsets me that we all have to pay a price for his lack of motivation. Carlyle said, “Idleness alone is there perpetual despair.” This was written for my family member. How can anyone feel good about themselves without hard work and meeting goals. I want to scream and shout sometimes because he is so inconsiderate. Hard work is something I believe in. It is why I am working so hard to finish my degree to become a teacher. When I work hard and can see my results, I am proud. I hope this generation will continue working hard to make our world a better place, instead of acting like my family member who has no real place in this world.