Post Francis on Work...Final
A couple of final points from Pope Francis's comments about work...
I'm no expert here, but one issue that most of us can and should grapple with is this: Does increasing the "wealth" of society automatically or necessarily "justify" our work? I'm thinking of the idea that if everyone follows their own self-interest, that somehow society ends up better off.
If you're familiar with Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, you've heard of the "Invisible Hand." While the meaning of Smith's "Invisible Hand" isn't always clear and has been interpreted in different ways, recent popes have disputed the concept that an individual pursing his selfish interests will inevitably result in a better life for all. So any discussion of "just wage" or "living wage" is a waste of time. If everyone just goes about trying to get more for themselves, we'll all be better off. We don't have time to get into the Church's social teachings here and now, but what I hope you will do is think about whether this "Invisible Hand" makes sense.
But whether of not you think the "Invisible Hand" makes sense, here's something that surely does: If we increase our personal wealth, and we share that with others, then society does benefit. More to the point, we ought to share our wealth. We ought not simply work to better ourselves.
Finally, since the Pope's comments were made on the feast of St Joseph the Worker, we'll wrap up with a brief statement that I'm sure will help us all in our daily work:
...work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. Work, to use an image, "anoints" us with dignity, it fills us with dignity; it makes us similar to God.Similar to God! We not only assist God in the work of creation, but in doing so we become similar to God. Maybe that should be obvious, but it wasn't to me until I read this. We work as God works; we are therefore similar to God. And this applies even if we're in a difficult work situation. If you perform your work diligently and ethically, you draw nearer to God, because your work makes you similar to God. So the next time I have a tough day at work, or I have to deal with a difficult person or people, I hope I remember this and just plug away.
I think about how many people, and not just young people, are unemployed, often because of an economic conception of society, which seeks selfish gain, outside of the parameters of social justice.Here we find the Pope continuing a long Catholic understanding that work involves more than just making money. We are more than "economic man." And so in our work, we can't just focus on maximizing what we earn. To do so would eventually result in our work being a selfish endeavor. But our work isn't just about us. Our work isn't just about "efficiency." All that we do should be done in light of the common good. Here we connect with the "social" encyclicals.
I'm no expert here, but one issue that most of us can and should grapple with is this: Does increasing the "wealth" of society automatically or necessarily "justify" our work? I'm thinking of the idea that if everyone follows their own self-interest, that somehow society ends up better off.
If you're familiar with Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, you've heard of the "Invisible Hand." While the meaning of Smith's "Invisible Hand" isn't always clear and has been interpreted in different ways, recent popes have disputed the concept that an individual pursing his selfish interests will inevitably result in a better life for all. So any discussion of "just wage" or "living wage" is a waste of time. If everyone just goes about trying to get more for themselves, we'll all be better off. We don't have time to get into the Church's social teachings here and now, but what I hope you will do is think about whether this "Invisible Hand" makes sense.
But whether of not you think the "Invisible Hand" makes sense, here's something that surely does: If we increase our personal wealth, and we share that with others, then society does benefit. More to the point, we ought to share our wealth. We ought not simply work to better ourselves.
Finally, since the Pope's comments were made on the feast of St Joseph the Worker, we'll wrap up with a brief statement that I'm sure will help us all in our daily work:
St. Joseph also had difficult moments, but never lost confidence and was able to overcome them, in the certainty that God does not abandon us.
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