Man is a working animal. Despite the inevitable tension between the human tendency to be lazy and the basic desire within each person to accomplish goals and learn new skills, there are many ways in which these conflicting characteristics work together. Ages of philosophers have reflected on the true nature of man and his search for happiness and meaning. In his journal on Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau has approached such reflection through examining the struggle of the working class man. Although written over a century later, E.F. Schumacher's "Buddhist Economics" echoes some of these same themes pertaining to the nature of an industrial society and the ills of a competitive, morally empty economic system.
[...] our lofty ideas of perfections and the slime of reality, whether we are speaking within the realm of philosophical discourse or simply our daily relationships with others. This same tension exists in the workplace, and Thoreau sounds off as the voice of the common worker, constantly at odds with the nature of the artist and the philosopher. Thoreau reveals that the nature of society is a collective lie, echoing the ideas of writers such as Rousseau and Locke. These writers term it a contract, but Thoreau reveals the underbelly of this agreement for a civilized state. [...]
[...] This dehumanizing effect became troublesome to me and I often thought of the writing of Thoreau and how many of the people in the office were wasting their lives there. This experience forced me to reflect on what really matters in life and what is worth pursuing with all of your effort. Many of these workers seemed content to pretend to be busy, and to merely let the time pass until it was time to go home. A thinker like Thoreau would have seemed like an alien in this group as well simply because of the greater order of aspirations that his mind is aimed toward. [...]
[...] Drawing directly from the Buddhist notion of “right livelihood,” Shumacher is able to connect this requirement with our natural need for achievement and respectful contribution to society (Schumacher 479). He claims that the man who no chance of obtaining work” is the one who is suffering desperation, not just because of money but because lacks the nourishment” that is received from conducting satisfying work (Schumacher 481). Once again, this idea is more clearly articulated than those of Thoreau. Thoreau touches on these Buddhist notions, and is perhaps one of the earliest western authors to do so. [...]
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