Dear brothers and sisters,

Work ethic (đạo đức lao động) is our belief that work is good for us – it strengthens our character, gives us wisdom, enhances our integrity, and bring us success.

This thinking has not been universal throughout history. In ancient Greek culture, work was seen as a burden – the word for “work” is “ponos,” equivalent of the Latin word “poena,” meaning sorrow. In ancient Jewish culture, in The Old Testament – the first half of the Christian Bible – work is called “toil/toiling,” indicating hard, tiring labor. In The Genesis – the first book of The Old Testament – after Adam & Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit, God kicked them out of the Eden Garden and told Adam: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” (Gen 3:17). In the Vietnamese culture, what valuable is “nhàn” (leisure) as Nguyễn Công Trứ wrote in his archetypal poem “Chữ Nhàn.” And the Buddhist culture focuses on not working too hard, relaxing more.

However, if you have lived a little long, you know very well that working is good for you – it is health exercise for both your body and your mind every day – every day, average eight hours a day. That is supergood daily exercise for our entire life.

People who don’t work, and don’t like to work, simply grow fat, heavy, sick and stupid.

The Protetants (Tin lành) take work ethic from the Bible: God created Adam and “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen 2:15). So, God creates human to work and take care of the Earth or whatever God gives to human – human is the manager of everything God creates. We are God’s managers – working to manage whatever God hands over to us.

In the Protestant work ethic, property, money, power, intelligence, beauty, knowledge… are things God gives to us to manage. We must work to increase their value for God. The better a job we do in managing, the more things God hands over to us to manage more. Thus, the growth of our money, properties or power means more work to do for God.

But I don’t have to talk to you brothers and sisters about Protestant work ethic. I am telling you about my experience – and I am very experienced in working hard. I have always worked my rear off all my life, and I always see that the more I work the stronger, wiser, healthier and more successful I become.

I don’t feel tired and pressured when working. It is the kind of daily exercise I am so used to. It is like, every day you have to exercise so many hours for both your body and your mind. Routine exercise. We all feel good when we do our routine exercise every day.

In other words, if we are used to working, we simply love working.

I guess people who sleep all day love sleeping, and peole who work all day love working.

You don’t have to force yourself to work, like working is a punishment. You can enjoy every minute of working, all day long, throughout your entire life. That is a great, long enjoyment, which of course is good to your body and your soul.

And I enjoy work whether I can make any money from it or not. I can do something to help someone without taking any payment, and I still work as if they are paying me 1000 USD per hour. Money or no money I enjoy working with the same efforts and quality.

You guys and gals who feel that working is hard, tiring and boring, try to get into the habit of good working – when you study something, focus on studying well; when you do something, focus on doing it well. Focus on the quality of your work; use your time in the most effective way.

Once you have a good working habit, work is full of fun, like playing rock and roll all day long.

People who don’t enjoy working (1) just have the wrong idea about work versus leisure in the first place, and (2) have no experience in enjoying work, because (3) they have not built for themselves a good working habit, to make work an enjoyment.

People enjoy physical exercise every morning, because they have made that exercise their habit. Same thing with working, you will enjoy working every day, because you have made working your habit.

Simple like that.

Wish you all have good work ethic.

With compassion,

Hoanh

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