Problems of Conduct: An Introductory Survey of EthicsDrake, Durant
Philosophy
Problems of Conduct: An Introductory Survey of Ethics
Drake, Durant
Ethics
the universal duty. "We must all toil or steal (howsoever we name our
stealing), which is worse." [Footnote: Carlyle's writings are full
of such wholesome declarations. And cf. W. Dew. Hyde: "An able-bodied
man who does not contribute to the world at least as much as he takes
out of it is a beggar and a thief; whether he shirks the duty of work
under the pretext of poverty or riches." Cf. also Tolstoy, in What
to Do? For example (from chap. XXVI), "How can a man who considers
himself to be, we will not say a Christian, or an educated and humane
man, but simply a man not entirely devoid of reason and of conscience,
how can he, I say, live in such a way that, not taking part in the
struggle of all mankind for life, he only swallows up the labor of
others, struggling for existence, and by his own claims increases the
labor of those who struggle, and the number of those who perish in
struggle?"] relieved from the necessity of earning a living" (unless
one intends to use that freedom for unpaid service), an ideal dangerous
to social welfare, and shortsighted for the individual. Work makes
up a large part of the worth of life. Drudgery it may be at the time,
a weary round, with no compensation apparent; but it is of just such
stuff that real life is made. What ennobles it, what gives it meaning,
is the courageous attack, the putting of heart into work, the facing
of monotony, the finding of the zest of accomplishment. There is no
such thing as "menial" work; the washing of dishes and the carting
away of garbage are just as necessary and important as the running
of a railway or the making of laws. The real horror is the dead weight
of ennui, the aimlessness and fruitlessness of a life that has done
nothing and has nothing to do. If the thought of the day's work
depresses, it is probably because of ill health, over fatigue, unpleasant
surroundings or companions, because of worry, or because the particular
work is not congenial. The finding of the right work for the right
man and woman is one of the great problems which we have hardly begun
to solve. But all of these sources of the distaste for work can normally,
or eventually, be reached and the evil remedied. In spite of the burden
and the strain, if we could have our way with the order of things,
one of the most foolish things we could do would be to take away the
necessity of work. Here, as usual, personal and social needs coincide;
in the working life alone can be found a lasting satisfaction for the
soul and the hope of salvation for society. Are competitive athletics
desirable? As samples of the concrete problems involved in the ideal
of health and efficiency, we may briefly discuss two questions that
confront particularly the young man. And first, that concerning athletic
sports are of marked value:
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