owl 2. Work Ethic
History's influential characters were laborers before they were noteworthy:

Adam was a gardener, although not well focused.

Cain was a farmer and Abel raised sheep. Those two occupations still tend to clash.

Noah was a shipwright, and after about 100 years in the trade became the first Fleet Admiral.

Many folk from Abraham to Amos were shepherds, and I can attest from hands on experience that herding such domestic critters is work.

Jesus was a carpenter, and the apostle Paul a tentmaker.

Euro-centric history tends to focus on celebrities, but any honest in depth account of successful cultural development reveals the necessity of allowing productive workers to realize some measure of satisfaction from their efforts. Any system that overly exploits and enslaves its workers is inherently self destructive.

On a personal level, I learned by example that there is gainful employment available for anyone who wants it, yes even the "disabled". Even 'tho we tend to let object lessons fade over time, a singular happening stays in my memory, and has served me well over the past several decades:

My Dad had just finished a labor intensive irrigation job out of Tulare, California in mid August 1944, and took me with him to Porterville to cast about for another job. We rented a small cabin, which wasn't quite ready for occupancy. Told that it would be ready later that day, we started exploring. We stopped at a farm labor camp where there was an enormous oak shade tree with built in benches and tables. There were 12 to 15 people, mostly adult men, lounging about, drinking ice tea, and bemoaning how slack the work picture was. It was a time between cultivation and harvest, so it was indeed slow. We visited with them a while, then Dad told me to watch our 'stuff' while he looked around a bit. He took off on foot, as we had no car at the time.

I truly enjoyed visiting with those people. They were hospitable, full of good humor, and not really too distressed about their temporary idleness. And Porterville was another new world for my growing collection of worlds. Time passed quickly. Dad was back in about two hours. He exchanged a few pleasantries with them, and said to me, "Let's go see if the cabin is ready." It was. We took our 'stuff' in. Among our 'stuff' was enough snack items for a meager single lunch. Dad gave me a couple of 1944 dollars to go grocery shopping, but told me to make his lunch out of what we had while he took a bath. He had to be to work at six p.m. There was no lecture, no crowing. Just matter of fact statements. His newly acquired job was running a prune and raisin dehydrator, 12 hours a night, 7 nights a week for about a three month season.

As he left for work, I reflected on the pleasant day just ending. I kinda wished Daddy had heard all the amazing yarns those guys spun. The guys were not deadbeats, they were simply between jobs. And they were right about work being slack. Not once while I was enjoying the shade, iced tea and atmosphere there with them did anybody stop by to offer us gainful employment.

..to be continued..............