OFW Journals (OFW Stories on the News) and Some OFW Employment, Career & Business Tips

Tsinoy says:

Folks, I know there is a better way to start our insight on labor. But I can’t resist the punchline. And lest we get a distorted value of work, let’s hear from the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran on the virtues of labor:

When you work, you fulfil a part of the earth’s furthest dream,
assigned to you when the earth was born,
And in keeping yourself with labor you are in truth loving life
and to love life through labor
is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.
Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste,
it is better that you should leave your work
and sit at the gate of the temple
and take alms of those who work with joy.
All knowledge is vain save when there is work
and all work is empty save when there is love;
and when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself,
and to one another, and to God.

Let me try to read into what the mystic Kahlil Gibran is telling us.

Each of us is given a seed when we come to this world. It is this “acorn” that we nurture until it blooms into a strong oak tree; it is this tree that humanizes the earth by making it liveable for everyone. The “acorn” is our talent, or our capability to be creative. When we put it to good use, it becomes our labor of love. This is how we become a part of the earth’s furthest dream, which is to make the world a better place for everyone. That is how we get connected to “life’s inmost secret”.

What we do with the “acorn” - or our God-given talent - is left entirely up to us. We have a choice. But how many of us blame our genes (family) or our environment (community, school, peers, work) if we are unable to nurture this talent? And why blame the Creator for our small share?

It’s true, we may have fewer talents than others. I guess that’s why they are smarter than us. But that does not make one a lesser mortal than the rest of humanity.

Let me digress.

Did you know that migrant Filipino nannies contribute as much as world leaders to the work of bringing about a culture of peace in this world? Yes! This is not the exclusive domain of NATO or APEC officials, or the UN bureaucrats who crack their heads in seemingly endless debate to untangle the intricate web of world issues. Back then, it was the cold war. Now, it is terrorism.

But how? The wards of these migrant Filipino nannies will surely grow up to be more tolerant of other cultures and religion. Thanks to the love and undivided attention showered to them by their yayas (nannies). Through this nurturing process, they are able to absorb the universal values of love that radiate from every caring deed of their yayas who are not even their relatives. And should they become leaders in their own countries, the closer we would get to realizing a world without prejudice, bigotry, hatred and injustice. At the very least, they would grow up respecting others irrespective of creed, color or belief.

Finally, Kahlil Gibran asks: Are you happy with your job? If not, you can do two things. You can either move on to another one where you feel you can truly develop your talent. Or you can change your attitude to what you are doing, by seeing your work as an important contribution to making the world a better place for everyone.

For in the end (i.e. when it’s your turn at the pearly gates), you alone and no one else will be there to account for that “acorn” that was entrusted to you. The bigger the share, the greater the accounting.

Did your talent remain hidden? Or did it grow to become a giant oak tree? Has its branches nurtured birds in their nests? Has its shade sheltered the weary traveler on his journey? Do you think that your job is purposeful and meaningful? If the answer is yes, then your work has become a true expression of love for others (although I wouldn’t mind taking money that goes with it). And ultimately, your work has bound yourself to your higher self, and to others, and to your God.

Cheers.

Tsinoy