the foundations of personality-第58章

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　in　our　treatment　of　this　subject　if　we　omitted　two　hugely　important　factors　in　work　character。　Two　powerful　motives　operate；the　necessity　of　working　and　work　as　an　escape　from　ourselves。　Not　much　need　be　said　of　the　pressure　of　necessity。　〃To　eat　one　must　work。〃　This　sentence　condenses　the　threat　behind　most　of　the　workers　of　the　world。　They　cannot　stop　if　they　wouldfor　few　are　those；　even　in　prosperous　communities；　who　have　three　months　of　idleness　in　their　savings。　The　feeling　of　insecurity　this　fact　brings　makes　a　nightmare　out　of　the　lives　of　the　many；　for　to　the　poor　worker　the　charity　organization　is　part　of　the　penalty　to　be　paid　for　sickness　or　unemployment。　To　my　mind　there　are　few　things　more　pathetic　than　a　good　man　out　of　a　job；　and　few　things　for　which　our　present　society　can　be　so　heartily　damned。　Few　even　of　the　middle　class　can　rest；　their　way　of　living　leaves　them　little　reserve；　and　so　they　plug　along；　with　necessity　as　the　spur　to　their　industry。　To　escape　ourselves！　Put　any　person　of　adult　age；　or　younger；　in　a　room　with　nothing　to　do　but　think；　and　you　reduce　him　to　abject　misery　and　restlessness。　Most　of　our　reading；　entertainment；　has　this　object；　and　if　necessity　did　not　spur　men　on　to　work　steadily；　the　tedium　of　their　own　thoughts　would。　To　reflect　is　pleasant　only　to　a　few；　and　the　need　of　a　task　is　the　need　of　the　average　human　being。　Perhaps　once　upon　a　time　in　some　idyllic　age；　some　fabled　age　of　innocence；　time　passed　pleasantly　without　work。　To…day；　work　is　the　prime　way　of　killing　time；　adding　therefore　to　its　functions　of　organizing　activity；　achievement　and　social　value　of　recreation。　Yet　contradictory　as　it　seems；　though　many　of　us　love　work　for　its　own　sake；　most　of　us　do　not　love　our　own　work。　That　is　because　few　of　us　choose　our　work；　it　is　thrust　upon　us。　Happy　is　he　who　has　chosen　and　chosen　wisely！　Industry；　energy；　steadiness　are　parts　of　the　work…equipment；　enthusiasm；　eagerness；　the　love　of　work；　in　short；　is　another　part。　Love　of　work　is　not　a　unitary　character；　it　is　a　resultant　of　many　forces　and　motives。　Springing　from　the　love　of　activity；　it　receives　its　direction　from　ambition　and　is　reinforced　by　success　and　achievement。　Few　can　continue　to　love　a　work　at　which　they　fail；　for　self…love　is　injured　and　that　paralyzes　the　activity。　Here　and　there　is　some　one　who　can　love　his　work；　even　though　he　is　half…starved　as　a　result；a　poet；　a　novelist；　an　inventor；　a　scientist；　but　these　dream　and　hope　for　better　things。　But　the　bulk　of　the　half…starved　labor　of　the　world；　half…starved　literally　as　well　as　symbolically；　has　no　light　of　hope　ahead　of　it　and　cannot　love　the　work　that　does　not　offer　a　reward。　It　is　easy　for　those　who　reap　pleasure　and　reward　from　their　labors　to　sing　of　the　joy　of　work；　business　man；　professional　man；　artist；　handicraftsman；　farmer；these　may　find　in　the　thing　they　do　the　satisfaction　of　the　creative　desires　and　the　reward　of　seeing　their　product；　but　the　factory　is　a　Frankenstein　delivering　huge　masses　of　products　but　eating　up　the　producers。　The　more　specialized　it　becomes　the　less　each　man　creates　of　the　unit；　machine　or　ornament；　the　less　he　feels　of　achievement。　Go　into　a　cotton　mill　and　watch　the　machines　and　their　less　than　human　attendants　at　their　over…specialized　tasks。　Then　ask　how　such　workers　can　take　any　joy　in　work？　Let　us　say　they　are　paid　barely　enough　to　live　upon。　What　food　does　the　desire　for　achievement　receive？　What　feeds　the　love　of　the　concrete　finished　product　of　which　a　man　can　proudly　say；　〃I　did　it！〃　The　restlessness　of　this　thwarted　desire　is　back　of　much　of　that　social　restlessness　that　puzzles；　annoys　and　angers　the　better…to…do　of　the　world。　As　the　factory　system　develops；　as　〃efficiency〃　removes　more　and　more　of　the　interest　in　the　task；　social　unrest　will　correspondingly　increase。　One　of　the　great　problems　of　society　is　this：　How　are　we　to　maintain　or　increase　production　and　still　maintain　the　love　of　work？　To　solve　this　problem　will　take　more　than　the　efficiency　expert　who　works　in　the　interest　of　production　alone；　it　will　take　the　type　of　expert　who　seeks　to　increase　human　happiness。　Native　industry；　the　love　of　work　are　variables　of　importance。　No　matter　what　social　condition　we　evolve；　there　will　be　some　who　will　be　〃slackers；〃　who　will　regard　work　as　secondary　to　pleasure；　who　will　take　no　joy　or　pride　in　the　finished　product；　who　will　feel　no　loyalty　to　their　organization；　and　vice　versa；　there　will　be　those　working　under　the　most　adverse　conditions　who　will　identify　themselves；　their　wishes　and　purposes　with　〃the　job〃　and　the　product。　Nowhere　are　the　qualities　of　persistent　effort　and　interest　of　such　importance　as　in　industry；　and　nowhere　so　well　rewarded。　In　the　habits　of　efficiency　we　have　a　group　of　mechanically　performed　actions　and　stereotyped　reactions　essential　for　work。　Except　in　certain　high　kinds　of　work；　which　depend　upon　originality　and　initiative；　method；　neatness　and　exactness　are　essential。　〃Time　is　money〃　in　most　of　the　business　of　the　world；　in　fact　time　is　the　great　value；　since　in　it　life　operates。　The　unmethodical　and　untidy　waste　time　as　well　as　offend　the　esthetic　tastes；　as　well　as　directly　lose　material　and　information。　The　habits　in　this　sense　are　the　tools　of　industry；　though　exactness　may　be　defined　as　more　than　a　tool；　since　it　is　also　part　of　the　final　result。　He　whose　work…conscience　permits　him　to　be　inexact；　permits　himself　to　do　less　than　his　best　and　in　that　respect　cheats　and　steals。　The　work…conscience　is　as　variably　developed　as　any　other　type　of　conscience。　There　are　those　who　are　rogues　in　all　else　but　not　in　their　work。　They　will　not　turn　out　a　bad　piece　of　work　for　they　have　identified　the　best　in　them　with　their　work。　Contrariwise；　there　are　others　who　are　punctilious　in　all　other　phases　of　morality　who　are　slackers　of　an　easy　standard　in　their　work　efforts。　This　is　as　truly　a　double　standard　of　morals　as　anything　in　the　sex　sphere；and　as　disastrous。　There　is　on　every　second　wall　in　America　the　motto　typical　of　our　country；　〃Do　it　now！〃　To　it　could　be　added　a　much　better　one；　〃Do　it　well！〃　The　energy　of　work　and　its　promptness　are　only　valuable　when　controlled　by　an　ideal　of　service　and　thoroughness。　A　great　part　of　the　morals　of　the　world　is　neglected；　part　of　the　responsibility　is　not　felt；　in　that　a　code　of　work　is　yet　to　be　enunciated　in　an　authoritative　way。　I　would　have　it　shown　graphically　that　all　inefficiency　is　a　social　damage　with　a　boomerang　effect　on　the　inefficient　and　careless；　and　in　the　earliest　school；　teaching　the　need　of　thoroughness　would　be　emphasized。　Our　schools　are　tending　in　the　other　direction；　the　curriculum　has　become　so　extensive　that　superficiality　is　encouraged；　the　thorough　are　penalized；　and　〃to　get　away　with　it〃　is　the　motto　of　most　children　as　a　result。　In　an　ideal　community　every　man　and　woman　will　be　evaluated　as　to　intelligence　and　skill；　and　a　place　found　accordingly。　Since　we　live　a　few　centuries　too　soon　to　see　that　community；　since　jobs　are　given　out　on　a　sort　of　catch…as…catch…can　plan；　it　would　be　merely　a　counsel　of　perfection　to　urge　some　such　method。　Nevertheless　ambitious　parents；　whose　means　or　whose　self…sacrifice　enable　them　to　plan　careers　for　their　children；　should　take　into　solemn　account；　not　their　own　ambitions；　but　the　ability　of　the　child。　A　man　is　apt　to　see　in　his　son　his　second　self　and　to　plan　for　him　as　for　a　self　that　was　somehow　to　succeed　where　he　failed。　But　every　tub　in　the　ocean　of　human　life　must　navigate　on　its　own　bottom；　and　a　father's　wishes　will　not　make　a　poet　into　a　banker　or　a　fool　into　a　philosopher。　Nothing　is　so　disastrous　to　character　as　to　be　misplaced　in　work；　and　there　is　as　much　social　inefficiency　in　the　high…grade　man　in　the　low…grade　place　as　when　the　low…grade　man　occupies　a　high…grade　place。　We　have　no　means　of　discovering　originality；　imagination　or　special　ability　in　our　present…day　psychological　tests；　and　we　cannot　measure　intensity　of　purpose；　courage　and　the　quality　of　interest。　Yet　watching　a　child　through　its　childhood　and　its　adolescence　ought　to　tell　us　whether　it　is　brilliant　or　stupid；　whether　it　is　hand…minded　or　word…minded；　whether　it　is　brave；　loyal；　honest；　a　leader　or　a　foll