Wisdom Charge: The Sweetness of Labour

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:12 (KJV)

---

Imagine that for every of your needs, you already have the needed resources to meet it, for every project, there's already more than enough to fund it, for every business idea, you already have the capital without a drop of sweat, without doing any form of work. Many would like this kind of life, but if this were the case for man, do you not think life will be boring? Boring because he would have nothing to fight for - nothing to toil for, no vision to pursue, nothing to persevere for, no exhibition of patience in any form.

With human needs being insatiable however, there is always something to fight for - a dream to pursue and accomplish, a goal to score, a family to cater for, a career to be established...

There is a sense of responsibility and pride that comes with labour. The confidence that a price has been paid to get your desired intention or to get a desired result. When you know you've done things in fairness, not cheating or stealing from anyone to make gain. Your heart is joyous and your mind at rest. You will therefore eat your food with gladness, and your sleep will be sweet. This is because your heart will not condemn you or question your actions, as there is justification for the work you do.

A rich man has many worries - many businesses to oversee, too many bank accounts to keep, profit margin to maintain or increase, business meetings to attend to, sometimes in the middle of the night, lawsuits to care about and so many other worries. Some people say the bigger your head, the harder it aches. A rich man is likely to contravene his own morals to get some things done, all of these which may result in guilty conscience and restlessness.

This post is not to discourage wealth; it is however meant to encourage accountability, transparency, fairness, honesty, contentment and every such good virtues. Eating from your own labour is sweet, cheating another man of the proceeds of his labour is a poison to your system.

Therefore, do your work in fairness and honestly, and in peace and with joy, enjoy the fruits of your labour...

---

Hard and honest work earns a good night’s sleep, whether supper is beans or steak. But a rich man’s belly gives him insomnia. - Ecclesiastes 5:12 (MSG)