How Our Work Benefits the Common Good - Part 2

We've been talking about how our work benefits the common good. Last time we focused on different kinds of work. Let's shift now to us workers.

As mentioned last time, that guy who wanted his sandwich served "just so" provided a good example of work that may not have been consciously done to serve the common good. But in doing the job right, it did. 

If we now focus on that - doing the job right - I think we find common ground for how any of us - in whatever work we do - most definitely serves the common good.

Ideally, we all engage with our work such that doing the job right matters. Even if we're in a slipshod operation, that doesn't mean we don't strive to do our personal best.

Early on in my working life, I worked for a company that was trying to spruce up its sales numbers so a bigger company would buy it. I'll spare you the details. But if you've ever been in sales, or worked for a company that put numbers ahead of truth and integrity, you know the drill. It doesn't matter how you hit your numbers, as long as you hit them. And if you have to lie, cheat, or steal to do so, well, then that's what they expect you to do.

Now, in my case, I somehow managed to survive by doing my job honestly. But I worked with folks who didn't. They lied and they cheated. (I don't remember anyone having to steal, but who knows.) Did I deserve any credit for my honesty? Not really. Frankly, it was the only way I knew to do the job. The folks who lied and cheated did things I don't think I could have done even if I wanted to. And, really, is doing a job honestly deserving of some sort of golden crown? Shouldn't that be a basic expectation of how we do our job?

Back to doing the job right.

Doing a job right - and doing it honestly and with integrity - builds character, doesn't it? But it's not just building the character of the individual worker. It gives a good example to others. Now, frankly, in that job I described above, I didn't see any positive rub-off onto the liars and cheaters from my relatively straight-forward, honest work. In fact, they likely looked at me as maybe some sort of sucker who accepted less reward than they received. Lying and cheating paid better. Then again, who knows? Maybe the example of honest work may have sowed a seed in one or two of them that later sprung up and helped them get on the straight and narrow.

But you can see that good example will, as a rule, elevate the general work environment, even if only a tiny bit. And duplicated over millions of us example-givers, the net effect could be something of more significance, whether we see it or not. 

For those of you who see the work place as cut-throat, brimming with liars, cheaters and stealers, even you would have to admit that, if it were possible, bringing a bit of honesty and integrity would benefit more folks than the alternative, no? Let's hope so. And let's hope that you're the one who brings it on.

So, worker's of the world unite! We all have a stake in the salvation of souls, starting with our own. Doing a job right falls right in line with that endeavor. And if we can do our own job right, there's a chance our example will help others do that too. Can benefiting the common good be far behind?

And that's how our work benefits the common good. You don't need a degree in theology or philosophy to get this. It's a common enough concept, this idea of the common good. Any of us can grasp it. Better still any of us can contribute to it.

Today, let's all do our jobs right. And in doing so, have confidence that - with God's grace - we can together benefit the common good.