HOLY HOMEWORK

Liberty in the Workplace

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Every year on July 4 our nation celebrates Independence Day. Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago we refused to put up with any form of tyranny, oppression, or political slavery. We fought for, died for, and won our liberty. Consequently, today we are free, or are we?

In the 1960 film “Spartacus,” actor Kirk Douglas explains the difference between the death of a free man and the death of a slave: When a free man dies he loses the pleasure of life. When a slave dies he loses the pain of life. Is our current employment a source of pleasure or pain? Since a recent Gallop poll found that nearly three out of every four employees “hate” their jobs, we can justifiably ask: Are we free to work, or slaves to work?

Important Distinction

There are two ways to become chained to our desks. Either we choose to spend more time at the office than is required or we are forced to work additional hours without receiving commensurate compensation. Both are forms of slavery. Our focus here is on the first, the self-imposed shackles.

Four problematic motivators can drive us to arrive early and remain late at the office, namely perfectionism, competition, consumerism and escapism.

Problem motivator # 1: perfectionism. If everything we do has to be impeccable then we may as well bunk alongside our mouse and keyboard. There will always be some flaws and imperfections in everything we do. And even if our work appears to be perfect, we will be haunted by the ghostly idea that there was probably a more efficient way to complete the task.

Solution #1: the virtue of trust. We must learn to trust that enough is enough and be happy that we have done our best, even if our best falls short of flawless. Our daily mantra should be: never abandon the good for the perfect.

Problem motivator # 2: competition. If beating our competitors forces us to beat the time clock into a 25-hour day, we'll never be satisfied, even if we do corner the market or bankrupt the opposition. Barring a legitimate monopoly, someone else is bound to come along with a better mousetrap or a bigger piece of cheese.

Solution # 2: the virtue of contentment. This is not laziness or even settling for a smaller slice of the pie. Contentment is a matter of focus. Instead of jealously eyeing what our rivals are doing, we can be content to look at the true needs of our own constituency. Then by positioning our products or services to meet those needs at an affordable price, we will secure a genuine profit: the loyalty of clients who want an honest bang for their buck, not a false collection of bells and whistles.

Problem motivator # 3: consumerism. If we are living to work rather than working to live, we may be the victims of superior marketing, also known as consumerism. This is not an easy dragon to damper because slick advertising can have us calling 800 numbers or keying our credit card numbers into websites to order merchandise that we can do without.

Solution # 3: the virtue of detachment. This is a tough virtue but it will save us money and help save our planet too. Asking ourselves whether we truly need something or merely want something is the first step toward detachment. The true litmus test of having too much stuff is our needing to purchase vacuum-shrinking bags to free up closet space so we can go out and buy more stuff.

Problem motivator #4: escapism. Some people spend extra hours at the jobsite in order to avoid their domestic environment. If we have nothing but problems or heartaches or emptiness to come home to, why hurry home?

Solution # 4: the virtue of integrity. If the difficulty is a challenging home life, then the virtue of integrity helps us to face the real issues that underlie our keeping late night hours. Although it might be easier to bury our head in work, it's certainly more honest to admit and fix the household complications we are trying to ignore. And if the issue is simply boredom, then volunteering at a charity is a far more virtuous alternative to becoming the vampire of an office building.

For Holy Homework:

This month, proudly display the American flag at your workstation, in your car, where you live or as a lapel pin or brooch. Each time you look at it, offer a prayer for all the freedom fighters who brought, and continue to bring, the fresh air of liberty into every breath of life we take. God bless the USA.

Comments can be sent to: FatherBobPagliari@Yahoo.com