Dignity of labour

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If a man is called upon to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.

He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."

Martin Luther King's words ring true in every aspect. They simply endorse the concept of dignity of labour.

If we look at the local scenario, most Sri Lankans are unhappy in their jobs. The man who sweeps the streets does so most unwillingly. He complains of social injustice and blames his stars for giving him a lowly job. He does not like to tell others that he is a sweeper. Sometimes he tells his friends that he is a clerk in the local council.

Once there was this young man who had studied at a prominent school. He spoke flawless English. As he had no basic educational qualifications, he could not get a government job. Then, as luck would have it, he received a job as a peon in a big government office.

Now that he had a permanent and pensionable job in a government office, he decided to get married. However, he took all the precautions to hide his real identity as a peon and posed as a clerk.

Fifty years ago a government clerk was an important person in society. So when this young man went about looking for a partner, a marriage proposal came from a respectable family. He had already told his friends in office not to reveal his true identity.

One day the would-be-bride's parents paid a surprise visit to the young man's office. His friends immediately made arrangements to make him an important clerk inside a cubicle. The young man sat behind a heap of files and sent his "peon" to usher in the old couple into his cubicle. They were so impressed that they made arrangements to give away their daughter in marriage with a hefty dowry.

Then the real trouble began in his homefront. The "clerk" had to maintain his status. He took all the loans given to government servants and tried to show off his wealth. When his wife gave birth to three children, he decided that he should tell the truth to his wife. When he told his wife that he was an ordinary peon in the office she listened to him stoically and said nothing.

This is just one incident in which the employee did not enjoy the dignity of labour as a peon. But if you ask a teacher he would say he is the deputy principal. An assistant manager would pose as the manager. Such examples can be multiplied ad infinitum.

What people do not understand is that civilizations do not fall because of lost battles or material misfortunes. They crumble from within. We are not happy with our jobs. We give so many reasons: lack of recognition, low pay or non-availability of promotions.

But have we ever paused to think whether our superiors would promote an unhappy worker?

Every time we yield to the temptation to let down our standards by telling lies, we are letting down a civilization which has been built up with immeasurable pain and effort.

Our society needs ordinary men and women who like to do what they do, always a little better, a little more intelligently.

Knowing well that we are not living in a perfect world - God made or man made - it is up to us to hold on to higher ideals. For instance, dignity of labour is something that should be inculcated in children.

It is always good to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Even if you are doing a menial job, do it well. Be proud of your job and dwell on it a little, praise yourself for doing a good job and relish the experience. It is up to us to give ourselves recognition.

The little job you are doing may seem thankless. But as Emerson once said, "If a man has good corn or wood or boards or pigs to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles or church organs than anybody else, you will find a broad, hard beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods.