LLLV19 7-15-2019 Bernard Meltzer on How to Avoid the Hardest Work
When I was young, a famous song impacted my memory. It is a song of the misery of an oppressed group of men working on the boats and barges on the famed Mississippi River in the late 19th Century and the seeming futility of their life. Here’s a bit of the song:
Ah gits weary
An' sick of tryin';
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But Ol' Man River,
He jes' keeps rollin' along!
In our time, the lyrics still have meaning as a lot of jobs fail to meet the needs of the family. “What’s the use,” is the dominant thought in many minds and hearts as these men and women plod on through another wearisome day.
On the other hand, up the labor ladder, men and women earn a much more significant portion from their work, often nice and clean and super respectful. These folks usually are driven to mental/emotional breakdowns despite the appearance of “having it made.”
The perceived necessity to achieve/produce ever more drives them bonkers. Many do NOT have a daily plan or fail to follow the procedure. Playing “catch up” is the hardest work in the world.
For those of us in the world who earn our living based on our ability to stay motivated, we often fail to do the simple things in an orderly fashion, the orderliness based on the importance of the work.
Here’s a good line on this subject from Bernard Meltzer:
“Hard work is often the easy work you did not do at the proper time.”
Solomon commented on the dilemma we all face concerning the “when” to do:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 3:7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. (NKJV).
Larry Lilly Share with friends. For Twitter http://www.larrylilly.net/blog
When I was young, a famous song impacted my memory. It is a song of the misery of an oppressed group of men working on the boats and barges on the famed Mississippi River in the late 19th Century and the seeming futility of their life. Here’s a bit of the song:
Ah gits weary
An' sick of tryin';
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But Ol' Man River,
He jes' keeps rollin' along!
In our time, the lyrics still have meaning as a lot of jobs fail to meet the needs of the family. “What’s the use,” is the dominant thought in many minds and hearts as these men and women plod on through another wearisome day.
On the other hand, up the labor ladder, men and women earn a much more significant portion from their work, often nice and clean and super respectful. These folks usually are driven to mental/emotional breakdowns despite the appearance of “having it made.”
The perceived necessity to achieve/produce ever more drives them bonkers. Many do NOT have a daily plan or fail to follow the procedure. Playing “catch up” is the hardest work in the world.
For those of us in the world who earn our living based on our ability to stay motivated, we often fail to do the simple things in an orderly fashion, the orderliness based on the importance of the work.
Here’s a good line on this subject from Bernard Meltzer:
“Hard work is often the easy work you did not do at the proper time.”
Solomon commented on the dilemma we all face concerning the “when” to do:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 3:7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. (NKJV).
Larry Lilly Share with friends. For Twitter http://www.larrylilly.net/blog