What exactly is Labor Day all about? Well, the United States Department of Labor
states, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor
movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American
workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers
have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” (“History
of Labor Day”). Although, some may not get this day off from work, all workers should take the
time to ponder on the meaning of this American holiday, because feeling
accomplished in one’s work is vital to the happiness of self. The majority of people spend a great deal of
their lives, most likely the largest percentage of their lives, working. Therefore, this investment of time is a
deposit of effort towards a pursuit of happiness, of self-contentment. Believing that all effort is taken from only
the time away from work is nonsensical and perilous. If we are to count just time outside of work
as the principal foundation of happiness, then we have failed to see to what
extremes work influences every facet of life.
With the mindset that work holds no contributions to overall happiness,
a person is left in a somewhat zombie state, because work does in fact
contribute greatly to happiness considering it takes up most of a person’s time
in their life. Failing to see this, Labor
Day is of no consequence.
In my opinion, ‘celebrating’ Labor Day really isn’t
important, but I do think it is important for people to take the time to
reflect on what it means, or rather, what it should mean, because happiness is
important. I think importance and success
fall under the umbrella of happiness when we are considering if we even have
it. We cannot do much about what is in
the past. Very few can make true amends
for their mistakes. There is lot we think we can do for the future, and so,
we spend a great deal of time planning it out.
I do this, and I think it is important to a degree, so I won’t criticize
planning out the future. But if we were
to do this wisely, then planning for your plan to fail should be number one on
the list. What does matter is the
present. So right now, are you
happy? Do you feel successful? Do you feel important? If you haven’t taken the time to consider
Labor Day, then it is a good catalyst for pondering what happiness means and
what it would take to achieve that in the now.
After many painful years living in the past and many futile
years planning for the future, I know that happiness is not a state of
accomplishment. This false thinking
makes happiness a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Some say happiness is a façade and that one
cannot be continually happy but can be continually content. Happiness is a state of mind. If you place it in an unreachable pot of
gold, then you’ve made it unreachable.
If you say you cannot be continually happy, then you cannot. But if you live each moment to its fullest,
then you can live no more than that. And
when you are always watchful of making each moment count, then you can live no
more than that. That’s about as happy as
happiness will ever be. When you live
this way, the past is not so painful and the future is not so contingent upon
conditions.
Considering this, Labor Day, or at least reflecting on its
meaning, is of consequence. If one feels
accomplished in his or her work, making the most out of each moment is
effortless. One can then feel pride in contributing
to the overall welfare of America. It’s
a big deal to take pride in your country’s welfare, so much so, that you see that
your contribution does count. Sadly, for
those who do not consider Labor Day or its meaning, their contribution is of
little consequence because they do not take pride in their work. This failure to acknowledge Labor Day and to
take pride in their work goes back to living each moment to the fullest. They found work just to get by, and sometimes
that is necessary, but each moment passes and so do many opportunities for a
person to live on a career that is personally meaningful.
We yearn for something more, yet many of us choose to live
in ruts. Yes, choose. Sometimes we have to make ends meet, so we
bring ourselves to work in places that bring no real satisfaction. But we don’t have to stay there. This false sense of security is not stability
of the soul. The soul yearns for
happiness, for peace of mind, and that requires a change of heart and a change
in what we call work.
Work Cited
“History of Labor Day.” United
States Department of Labor. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm
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