Work is a Duty, not a Curse
Abstract
Work is a delegation that man received from the Garden of Eden. Biblical accounts point out to the importance of work in defining success and social reality. Without work, people cannot have food and the resources that are vital for human survival. On the same note, work has become part of humanity, and everyone's focus is to secure a job. Consequently, the results of work are instant, meaning that people directly get benefits depending on the nature and intensity of work that they do. This essay focuses on the term work, and determine whether it is a duty or a curse. Notably, this essay takes a position by advancing the term work as a way of ensuring social and economic progress. Therefore, people must work hard and esteem it like any other basic need.
Key words (work, God, Bible, human being, creations)
From the beginning, the human race was commissioned by God to work and make plenty of food that can feed their generations. When the Lord placed man in the Garden of Eden, He instructed him to take good care of the entire garden, and produce food. Meanwhile, the fall of man meant a different thing for him since he had to work hard in order to sustain himself and his family. This means that work came as a responsibility to be fulfilled by man following his disobedience to God’s commandments.
This statement does not expressly mean that work is a curse since it had become part of the human race. On the same note, God's blessings were overwhelming to those who toiled and worked hard. In this context, it is important to state that work is a not a curse, but a duty through which the human race fulfills its social and economic worth, besides determining the prevailing social realities in life. This essay will be majorly anchored on Biblical and social reasons that support the notion that work is not a curse, but a duty that every person is endowed to fulfill.
Work is a blessing and marked the onset of every activity in the creation story. Ideally, the book of Genesis is rich on the historical events that led to the creation of the earth. God began His work by creating heaven and earth. In the first verses of the book of Genesis, God acted in utmost responsibility to create a vast planet and heaven upon which man would depend on later. It is apparent that work led to the creation of this world, and had it been not for the work that God did, then no human race and objects would be in existence today. As people go about their businesses today, they silently appreciate the work that God did during the creation day.
The creation of earth and heaven was a stepping stone upon which God would bring in more creations. Today, society believe in doing work as a form of reward for themselves. In other words, working leads to social and economic satisfaction. For example, when God made earth and heaven, He was sure that His creations would live a comfortable life, and this was His mission with the human race. If God worked and did incredible things, then men have no reason to evade work, and at the same time should not link it to punishment. Human beings were created by God, and He did this in His resemblance (Ponder, 2019). Indeed, people should emulate God, and become orderly in doing work. In contemporary society, people who work hard and do it in an orderly manner reap the best outcome. Benefits accrue to hardworking people, and vice versa to the lazy ones.
Just like God’s creations, work is a must to every human being. In this context, whenever people work so hard, they do it to create perfections or solutions to resolve the existing problems. God’s work clearly shows the human race of His perfect design through human life. Therefore, people should emulate God’s practice, and advance the notion of work as a gateway towards the realization of solutions designed for them by God. Moreover, people must begin perceiving work positively as a tool upon which God’s creations are advanced through the human race.
Today, the society has made significant advances in technology and social networking. Such innovations are attributed to the immense work that a group of people dedicates to come up with something that can aid human life. Apparently, the discoveries that man make in modern society is a replica of what God did during the creation time. Ideally, work define the social reality in which human beings need to have. On the same note, work is such an instrumental and a coveted commission that was initiated by God Himself, and no man has a right to stop working. Lazy people never thrive well, and in most cases, end up being poor or sometimes resort to antisocial practices to sustain a living.
Work is regarded as a basic human need, and a human being must learn to cherish and esteem work just like they regard food, rest, beauty and social relationship (Ponder, 2019). Since work was designed by God to enable the human being to earn a living, besides fulfilling His creation, no person has a right to evade work. Principally, work is deeply entwined with the emotional, physical, and spiritual attributes of a person. Whenever an individual loses a job, he/she incidentally plunges into stress, which could generate depression.
This statement implies that work is such an important part of human life, and can never be avoided under any prevailing circumstance. “Our work helps us discover a part of what it means to be a human made in the image of God (Ponder, 2019).” Indeed, God's child most always be ready and willing to emulate what He desires to be good for him. Thus, when God designated work, He meant well for the human race and did this purposely to ensure that no person would go hungry.
According to Newman (2018), taking responsibility for everyone's fate triggers a state of emotional competency and autonomy over one's life. Work defines the locus of control in which people take to meet their desired responsibilities in life. In as much as it is hard to control things that happen within and outside one's environment, an individual must have a stake in defining what is best for him. This state of the affair only arises in a framework of organized workflow, and controlled activity. Taking responsibility is what people do to keep their promises alive, and fulfill corresponding duties, besides owing up to the decisions they make in life. Thus, work is such a critical determinant of one's social and economic life. On the same note, the willingness of an individual to work opens a wide array of opportunities. Thus, life brings out numerous opportunities, but this can only be tapped when a person is willing to work hard and transform these privileges into real outcomes.
Typically, contemporary society is currently plagued with economic challenges alongside social pressure. Consequently, the resources have become scarce, yet the demand has escalated beyond the expected limits. Amidst such social pressure on the available economic resources, it is prudent to come up with interventions that would comfortably sustain the growing number of people. At the forefront is innovation, which leads to real solutions. According to Erosa, Koreshkova, and Restuccia, (2010), human capital plays a critical role in the amplification of total factory productivity. This research validates that organized work is such an important aspect in determining overall productivity in society. For instance, scientific discoveries are all intended to aid in providing sustainable solutions to the growing food crisis in the world. The introduction of GM foods is due to the intense research and discoveries made by the human race to meet the demands of the people.
Indeed, the innovative work that has led to ease in life is attributed to work. People think, and work hard to make certain things a reality. A responsible person is hardworking and does not easily take the blame on others, but instead focuses on interventions that can help rectify the situation at hand. Thus, a person who takes up the responsibility and fulfills the social and economic desires is actually gratifying God’s demand on human beings. According to Leonard, (2014), works relates to a concept called interiority, which refers to an individual's engagement with his or her inner world for the sake of growth, creativity and well as maturity at work.
The Bible supports work, and a hard working person is such an important part of God's extended network of creation. Thinking creatively is an integral part of doing meaningful work, and establishing sustainable solutions in real life. Ideally, because of work and responsibility, people have been able to come up with superior systems that have changed the social and economic status of the society. For instance, the mass production in factories have improved yields and lowered operational costs, implying that people can get certain products at relatively affordable prices, and in the right quality and quantity. Place and time utilities are attributed to the creative works developed by experts in various fields. To this effect, no one can hold a point that work is a punishment; the truth remains that work and creativity are two issues that define personal and societal success.
Work is a duty that instills other values in human beings. Resilience is one such values that arise whenever a person engages his or her mind in a responsible way. Ideally, work makes human beings think broadly, and see the world from a different perspective, where he/she is involved in improving their status. For instance, in the transport sector, the invention of fast-speed rail came as a result of the need to have faster and affordable means of transport. There are several such discoveries that have been implored to create major solutions on earth. People have to use their mind and the knowledge given by God to advance His creation, and coming up with sustainable ways of improving life is a critical lens of ensuring that God's mission through human beings is achieved.
In conclusion, work is a duty that everyone has to fulfill. God Himself did work, and human beings have no choice, but to work hard and make life bearable. As noted above, work is a basic necessity but it leads to the realization of progress. On the same note, work is such a fundamental thing that extends God’s creation. In the Bible, God began by creating heaven and earth, and on the sixth day created man, before resting on the seventh day. The creation chronology exhibits that God certified work as a way of achieving His objectives, and transferred the mandate to human beings. Thus, there was work even before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. To this effect, people must love and appreciate work, since it is the only way that human beings can survive and find food.
References
Erosa, A., Koreshkova, T., & Restuccia, D. (2010). How Important Is Human Capital? A Quantitative Theory Assessment of World Income Inequality. Review of Economic Studies, 77(4), 1421–1449. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-937X.2010.00610.x
Leonard, H. (2014). What Is Interiority and Why Might It Be Important for Human Performance Technology? Performance Improvement, 53(3), 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21400
Newman, S. (2018). Responsibility Is a Blessing, Not a Curse. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/blog/responsibility-is-a-blessing-not-a-curse/
Ponder, D. (2019). Work Is Not a Curse. Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/christian-life/vocation-and-calling/work-is-not-a-curse.html
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