Work Ethic (Brief)

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Pushing your mgr's car (after work) across a main street against traffic @ night in the dark, now that is security...

Browning...

Work is natural for humankind from the beginning (Genesis 2) and not as punishment.

It became associated with sin in Genesis 3.

Work can be used in a positive context as in the gaining of wealth from Proverbs but refusing to work is deemed as 'reprehensible'. Browning 1997: 398.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 is cited

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

I reason this is in the context of those that can work and refuse to do so, not those that cannot work for legitimate reasons.

Blackburn mentions and lists the 'Protestant Work Ethic' and the entry states that 'we fulfil our duty to God by diligence, hard work, and restrained expenditure of goods acting as a treasuring sign (although not a cause since the outcome is predestined) of eventual salvation.' Blackburn (1996: 308). This ties into Christian spiritual discipline.

It does read as reasonable, although I am not certain I want to take it as dogmatic theology. 'Treasuring sign' is quite strong language but the concepts seem correct.

I admit that in my first twenty years of life that because of some parental issues and some self-esteem and self-image issues, my work ethic at school and in other areas of life was lacking.

My work ethic began to turn slightly for the better in my late teens at my last two years of secondary school and then slightly again when I earned my Insurance license; but my current very serious work ethic was developed with God's help when I started at Bible School and continued through my academic studies, and continues today.

But is it the Protestant Work Ethic?

My work ethic is more likely a result of me being in Christ as opposed to being a sign, but I admit that they are similar concepts.

At each level of academia from Christian BA to Christian MTS, to United Kingdom MPhil to United Kingdom PhD my work ethic had to increase, to a near perfection level by the time the PhD was reached.

Especially with the British-European PhD, there was very little room for technical and philosophical error and the amount of work was massive.

The work ethic required was intense.

But of course as I am a finite, imperfect being, perfection was not reached, but the required level of success was by God's grace.

Working now at corporate security I find now that some co-workers need employer motivation to follow standards, whereas when I completed my degrees, especially the last two theses only degrees, I had to be very self-motivated.

But I still give 100%. Even when some need to be constantly reminded of standards with memos etc...

I follow the standards if I am aware of them.

I am the least experienced officer at work with less than a year of experience and I am already the de facto supervisor for my shift on forty percent of the days I work, (I work with my good friend the very experienced and comical Mr. S. the other days) basically supervising people with years of experience. This is because of work ethic, PhD English skills with Canadian and British English and proficient computer skills.

I reason that whether I stay in corporate security or not the only reasonable course of action is to do the best work possible in order to build up my Resume and CV for employment or career change if and when it occurs. Even if my next employment takes place in the fields of theology and philosophy. I currently work on the site of likely a fortune fifty company and therefore it would be valuable to receive a positive reference.

My work ethic honours God and myself.

BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

BROWNING, W.R.F. (1997) Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press.