“Don’t mistake activity with achievement.” – John Wooden
Labor Day is a national holiday in the United States that is celebrated on the first Monday of September. Originally organized to celebrate various associations’ victories in the American labor movement, Labor Day has become a a day of rest, a temporary respite from the activities of the workaday world.
To my mind, Labor Day should also be a time of reflection, a day in which we can consider the nature and quality of our nearly ceaseless activity. Asking questions like: “Is this activity making the world a better place?” or “Is this activity bringing about the advancement of virtue in the world?” is a good place to start.
Take care that you don’t do as so many do and hide in the wearisome “comfort” of a busy life. Busyness devoid of true purpose is frenzy. You are here to achieve great things, to make a positive difference in the world.
Happy Labor Day!
Gregory Hake 
Your points are noted. I’ve had a tendency to get caught up in the details, and when there is space, to fill it with more busyness. It’s not satisfying to give all your attention to being so busy that you miss out on really living. I loved the post last week titled Attention and Focus and how refreshing it is to just “be” at times. Coco came up with a list of the magic of doing ordinary things. Her list delighted my heart and sparked a list of my own. If the spirit behind what we do day in and day out is right, things are kept in perspective, and a time of rest is in the cycle can be a time of renewal.
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Your clear words are appreciated! To view all our activities in how they may bless is vital. Along with this it is crucial to see how when in a state of comfort there is a human tendency to sow destructive seeds. The pulls of the human heart to satisfy oneself and the wimpish mental going along causes varying degrees of illness. If illness becomes so intense and the realization that something has to change is needed it can serve as a new starting point. The tendency then as comfort and ease are restored to again choose destructive patterns. Your questions today can really serve to foster the unification of our heart and mind in making the right choices for staying in the way of achievement and fulfillment.
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Great points to consider Gregg. Thank you.
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What you have written about Labor Day has brought to our mind the idea of the seven days of the week, and that one day of those seven was for rest and consideration. To ask ourselves what does thy labor bring to existence, and what is truly birthed from it. Not only for thyself, but for all of thy relatives. And here we use the concept of “relatives”, in the Indian way, that all beings are relatives. That we are part of everything and never separate from any thing. If humans could cease the insanity of what is now just called “busy”, we might realize what we are bringing into existence. But this can only happen when there is simple stillness joined with the Greatness.
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I’m reminded of the old question, “What on Earth are you doing, for Heavens’s sake?” Our daily activity becomes imbued with noble purpose when our heart and mind are available to Heaven’s direction; as this is true all of our activity makes a positive difference. Good holiday post!
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Indeed, and I too reflect on the idea that in our capitalist society, our work should produce what is deeply fulfilling to our lives, immaterial necessities, and not simply the means to consume. I believe we get sick when there is not virtue being expressed and produced from our labor, and furthermore it really doesn’t matter as much what we are doing but how we are doing whatever it is we are doing; it’s more in the attitudes and spirit we bring that makes the greater part of our activities.
Having said that, there’s still a boatload of work to be done (!), and I’ve realized that to sustain my own focus, it sure helps to consistently reflect on how light the heart is, for I know as I’m sure we all do, a heavy heart makes for extra labored effort and everything you do seems more difficult as if moving through quicksand. When you feel really good and you’ve done good with your efforts, when you’ve improved the life of anything – well, that sure is its own reward!
Happy Labor Day too!
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