Question

Is the "dignity of work" nothing but a shuck to be fed to suckers?

Answer 1

Work in itself is edifying. It’s important to have an energy exchange and receive something for the energy expended. That exchange can take the fork of wages. It can also be recognition. In the mental health world, we have an organization called Clubhouse. The first one and most famous is Fountain House in Manhattan. Still going strong. We have them here in Hawaii. They are run by the members. There is a staff of employees who do some functions who are generally not people with mental illness, but the members make all the decisions about policy. They follow a set of guidelines put out by Clubhouse International. The members are all part of work units. The kitchen unit actually cooks the food all the members eat. There is a facilities unit responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the facility. The clerical unit learns computer use and mans the phone and even calls members who have been absent for a while. Some clubhouses have a gardening unit. The point is that everyone has a job. A real job with duties. The therapeutic value is immeasurable. Very sick people recover and thrive. Work can be therapy.