The Dignity Of Labor | Write-up | Episode16

It is very sad that only Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Businessmen or people in Government or Private Sectors are adjudged as the so-called respectable persons. They are the only people who are given their due respect and dignity. But, what about the other classes of people - Don't they have any sort of dignity or respect? Can' they expect it?? I think no. There is no place in our society for this class of people who find it hard to put effort into something, They are deprived of respect, affection and dignity.

All forms of work, manual or intellectual are called labour. Tilling of land or carrying a load by hand is manual labour. But when we read a book or write a letter we are engaged in intellectual work. The Dignity of labour chiefly means respectability of manual, labour. Manual labour is very useful to us. The daily affairs of life cannot run without it. The cereals, the vegetables and the food we take, are the results of the sincere and tireless efforts of the manual work of the cultivators. The houses we live in, the automobile and other industries that are so essential are the products of the manual labour of millions of workers. So, the dignity of their toil has to be appreciated.

Unfortunately, in our country, the educated youths are generally averse to manual labour under a false sense of dignity. They forget that respectability lies, not in whether work is done with the hand or with the intellect, but in how well it is done. A Sweeper who does his work well is more praiseworthy and hence more honourable than a high-placed official who neglects his duties. In western countries, even university students sometimes work as menials in hotels and other places during the vacation in order to meet their expenses.

The dignity of manual and menial workers is often erroneously judged. All manual works require a certain amount of mental work. The potters who make earthenware from a lump of clay have a considerable sensibility and imagination. The handwork of an artisan may also be as fine as a classic lyric. We just cannot consider any avocation by itself - high or low, dignified or humble.

Manual labour is beneficial in other respects too. It keeps us physically fit and fosters a spirit of industry, self-help and manliness, and thereby helps moral growth.

In modern days, the manual labourers have rightfully established their importance in society. It is they who keep the society on the rail. So, we must admit that manual labourers have also a place in society, and we must give them their due honour.