An early childhood memory is of coming home from church and repeating
what I had heard from the elderly Scottish minister:
"We all must wurrrk in this wurrrld."
It was something my siblings and I repeated to one another from time
to time in the ensuing years -- a bit of knowledge about The Way The
World Is that had arrived to us in a memorable form. But it's not so
clear, any more, that it's true -- or even possible.
The reasons to work are, as I see it,
1) Because there are things that need to be done
2) Because humanity has evolved in such a way that it is easier to
feel fulfilled if one has some work to do than if one does not
3) Because one needs to earn money
The problem with the modern world is that #1 seems to accord
less and less with #3 -- that is, the activities that earn money --
especially those that earn lots of money -- are increasingly often
things that don't need to be done; arguably, even, most of the world
would be better off if they weren't done. And #2 doesn't accord
very well with #3, either -- though I'm less sure what kind of trend
there here. On the one hand, when it was obvious that there was a
lot of need for human labor -- when, for example, it took more than
50% of a population to produce enough food for all, instead of, as
now, in the U.S., taking well under 2% -- then the argument from
necessity (#3, even when it wasn't mediated with money) was probably
reasonably fulfilling. At least, it seemed obvious why one was
working; it was not hard to find a meaning in one's activities. But
when the link between #1 and #3 is broken, and the link between #2
and #3 weakens, too; if the work doesn't clearly produce anything
that makes life possible, or better, for anyone, but is only done in
order to produce an income, then the way is open for modern existential
distress.
So how would one seek to make work sustainable in such a
context? Myself, I wouldn't start by looking at the conditions for
the worker; I'd look at what it produces, and try to ensure that that
is something of value. How to ensure that? One test is: what does
it take to get people to purchase it? If it requires a lot of
manipulative, clever advertising (as opposed to a more simple, bland
effort to provide information), then that suggests that it's not very
important or valuable in people's lives. If I was interested in
creating a sustainable work situation, I'd start by getting the workers
together to discuss things like this. If they start with a commitment
to their product, that's a giant step forward.
All sorts of other conditions of work are, of course, also
important. But start with the meaning of what is being done!
-- Neva Goodwin
On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, Cordell, Arthur: DPP wrote:
> The word work is a convention. Sustainable has, as Eva has pointed out,
> become very trendy. Put sustainable in front of anything and-- voila--
> grants are given, research is funded. And calling something sustainable is
> like saying, why its ecologically sound. Good for the environment. Like
> paradigm, as Eva has pointed out, again, sustainable will find its proper
> place in the jargon dustbin. Sustainable came out of the Brundtland report
> and has really served no good purpose except to divert society from the
> reality of limits. A whole generation of thinkers seems to be thinking of
> nothing else but how to define sustainable. Hmmm.
>
> My two cents on sustainable work was an attempt to point out that we need to
> sustain community, individuals, the sense of purpose and meaning that is
> needed by all in society, 'workers' and 'non-workers alike' so that social
> cohesion can be maintained. So that alienation can be minimized.
>
> For me I define work as something that I get paid to do that, at that
> moment, I don't much feel much like doing. By luck or through careful
> planning (or rationalization!!!) I find that my work time coincides with my
> interests. For all those economists out there I might add that I am
> earning economic rents. But that is another story.
>
> arthur cordell
>
> ----------
> From: Neva Goodwin
> To: Cordell, Arthur: DPP
> Cc: deborah middleton; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: Sustainable work
> Date: Monday, January 25, 1999 9:16AM
>
>
> At some point, we need to ask, why are we using the word, "work"?
> There are other good words -- "self-actualization" (well, that's not
> a very euphoneous one, but it has a good meaning), "play" -- I've
> tended to assume that "work" had to do with an output of some kind
> that was of value, not only to the doer, but also to at least some
> others in society. Thus, child care, while not paid, and writing
> a novel, in hopes that it will be published (even if that seems
> unlikely) could be work, while taking singing lessons and practicing
> every day, if one never intends to offer the results to others, might
> not (by this definition) be included.
> So, before we figure out "sustainable", it seems we still
> need to settle on "work"!
>
> On Sun, 24 Jan 1999, Cordell, Arthur: DPP wrote:
>
> > I guess I would like to add that sustainable work is that which is
> something
> > that the doer finds interesting and/or creative and/or a reflection of
> > him/her self. Something that seems to provide meaning for the doer.
> > Something that even in the absence of payment, the doer might continue to
> > have some interest in.
> >
> > arthur cordell
> > ----------
> > From: Neva Goodwin
> > To: deborah middleton
> > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: Sustainable work
> > Date: Saturday, January 23, 1999 8:21PM
> >
> > Shouldn't an important part of sustainable work be that it produces
> > something that people want -- that, indeed, enhances the lives
> > of those using the output? I'd be inclined to put this very high
> > on the list. (See my essay on "Human Values in Work" in _The
> > Changing Nature of Work_, ed. Ackerman et al, Island Press '98)
> >
> > Neva Goodwin, Co-director
> > Global Development And Enviroment Institute
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > web address: http://www.tufts.edu/gdae
> > street address:
> > G-DAE, Cabot Center
> > Tufts University
> > Medford, MA 02155
> >
> >
>
> Neva Goodwin, Co-director
> Global Development And Enviroment Institute
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> web address: http://www.tufts.edu/gdae
> street address:
> G-DAE, Cabot Center
> Tufts University
> Medford, MA 02155
>
>
Neva Goodwin, Co-director
Global Development And Enviroment Institute
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
web address: http://www.tufts.edu/gdae
street address:
G-DAE, Cabot Center
Tufts University
Medford, MA 02155
