Labour (p.481)

Thomas Carlyle’s lecture, Labour, opens with a bold, universal truth, “For there is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in Work.” (p.481) Carlyle’s Calvinist background and his appreciation for hard work could be seen by today’s psychologist as a personality flaw.  His focus on an association between sacredness and work could be seen as an overly simplistic outlook on life.  I, however, like to view it as a sign of character-not a character flaw.

Carlyle focuses on the association between business and Godliness in this lecture.  He contrasted the “old school” teachings he learned as a young boy with the standard held in the post-industrial society.   Industrial workers replaced agricultural workers and industrial machines did the work normally performed by people.  The displacement of workers, the unemployment in the face of growing prosperity and the resulting changes in government disturbed Carlyle.  He saw people being used to benefit business rather than business being used to benefit people.  The acceptance by many people that they would be poor and unemployed didn’t change the direction of the government.  The acceptance by the government that it would always have the poor and its failure to remedy what Carlyle saw as a growing polarization between the classes caused Carlyle to fear a new version of the French Revolution.

Carlyle wanted the government to guide the people and especially wanted the rich people of his day to guide the poor people into noble pursuits.  One such noble pursuit was work.  Carlyle had no use for idleness and said, “in Idleness alone is there perpetual despair.” (p.481) It was work that gave a man hope and Carlyle said, “there is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works.” (p. 481) People needed to occupy themselves in getting to know their place through knowing what they had to do.  “The latest Gospel in this world is, Know thy work and do it.” (p.481) Carlyle had no use for people looking inward to discover who they were, he wanted them to know what they could do and get busy doing it.  Carlyle said, “a man perfects himself by working.” (p.481)

Carlyle’s ideas on the relationship of man and his labor went beyond some theoretical obligation.  Carlyle clearly associated man and labor as part of God’s design.  Carlyle opined that chaos would envelop the world if man did not work and that chaos would take place if the world ceased to revolve.  A lump of clay on a potter’s wheel is worthless if the potter does not work at his craft.  Until the potter works the clay into shape it does not have meaning but after it is molded into a bowl or cup it serves a greater function and becomes useful.  Man is like a lump of clay and if he does not work he is useless and serves no greater function. 

Carlyle wanted the idle people of his day to meditate on his words.  “Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.  He has a work, a life-purpose; he has found it, and will follow it!” (p.482) Like Carlyle, I believe each person has been born with certain talents and potential but without work that talent is wasted and the potential never realized.  I’ve heard it said that the word “potential” is a euphemism for saying someone hasn’t done anything yet.  I don’t know if I believe that “Labour is Life: from the inmost heart of the Worker rises his god-given Force, the sacred celestial Life-essence breathed into him by Almighty God” (p. 482), but I do believe God designed each of us for a purpose and without work we can never know what that purpose is and therefore can never fulfill that purpose.  If Carlyle is right when he said, “The knowledge that will hold good in working, cleave thou to that; for Nature herself accredits that, says Yea to that.” (p.482), then I would have to agree.  I’ve never seen any creature of nature that wasn’t busy and I’ve never seen a lazy species survive.  If that is true in nature then it must surely be true in man.

I guess the idea of working diligently at something is better than meditating on everything and accomplishing nothing.  If that is blessed then I’m satisfied with that.