Things won become things;
The spirit of joy lies in doing.
(William Shakespeare)
Our nature is such that we get deep satisfaction from “doing”. We are workers, and despite our occasional complaints to the contrary, we basically enjoy working. It’s not just that we enjoy the accomplishment of “doing” certain things, and it’s not just that we enjoy the relaxation and entertainment that comes from being engaged in “doing” – we actually enjoy doing the doing itself, at least under normal circumstances. There’s a deeply felt, holistic sense of rightness that comes from being in the middle doing.
However, the pleasure of doing depends largely on whether we are doing it or not. Are doing their best. The old adage that “Anything worth doing is worth doing well” is a reminder that there is some value or importance in doing good, and part of the value is the pleasure that comes from it. Simply put, it feels good to be actively involved in high quality work.
Yet even doing our best is not enough. It is also important to know what we are doing Good and right. As Gore Vidal commented, “There is nothing more humiliating than the work of people who do good work that is not worth doing at all.” Therefore we must ensure that our work is in line with the principles of proven value. Unprincipled work, no matter how high quality, is best left undone.
But, as Montaigne said, “It is one thing to say and another to do.” In the present age of information, we are inundated with words. Discussion is everywhere. But as someone said long ago, “talk is cheap,” and we need to be careful not to let talking become a substitute for talking. The joy of doing comes not from promising but from doing what we promised, so we must follow through and do what we said.
However, if there is another problem that characterizes our age, it is that we often do our work in such a hurry that we lose any pleasure we get from it. How much better it would be if we did our “actions” more thoughtfully. If we take the time to “taste” the things we do, we will often find them very gratifying.
Then, let us rise and act,
With a heart for any fortune;
Still achieving, still striving,
Learn to work hard and wait.
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
