“Work is everything done by those who have nothing else to do”, an old man in his mid-70’s told me.
Political revolutions will always bring both positive and negative things. This is what happened with the “25th of April”. Among all the good that the new regime brought to us, freedom of speech was what impressed me the most. Among the bad things, the most harmful, was, from my point of view, the change in the concept of work.
 
A great number of Portuguese started thinking they should work as little as possible, not only for others and but for themselves as well. Leisure and organizations (specially political and others) occupied most of the time. At the same time, everybody wanted more benefits (better wages, more social benefits, etc.), in order to share the new wealth more fairly.
 
This idea of sharing the wealth is, of course, nice. However, if you work less, you also produce less, and then what you have to share is poverty and not wealth.
 
It was obvious that the Portuguese, from the governors to the common man on the street, would have to admit this and change their way of thinking towards work, and this has been happening gradually.
Working is living, in such a way that without work there is no life. Work is something we need for our mental hygiene. It enables man to practise the good, benefit his fellow creatures, to contribute to the general progress, increasing his own strength with the idea of having fulfilled his duty.
 
Through work you acquire experience, discipline, patience, tolerance and a  sense of responsibility. You set an examples by teaching and preparing new workers.
 
Work, done with honesty and in a constructive way, refines the character, ennobles one’s attitudes, develops self-reliance, refreshes moral strength and makes the individual respected in his environment.
 
When people are instilled with the idea of making work a weapon at the service of the collective interests, they will have appropriate foundation for their material and spiritual development. If at the same time you create wealth, you keep the ideals of democracy, trying to make a fair distribution according to each one’s effort, you will find the way to the collective well-being.
 
Nowadays, Portugal is very attentive to the higher standards of living in the different countries of the European Union, but maybe it still lacks the consciousness that in order to obtain better life conditions everyone will have to work more.
 
Everyone. Scientists, researching and really discovering new solutions. Businessmen, developing the creativity of the technicians and competing more aggressively. Technicians, giving a rational interpretation to the circuits and trying to fulfil more ambitious aims. Clerks, factory workers and farmers, trying to perform their tasks with rigour, conscious that absenteeism and less dedication to work are harmful for them, for the organizations they belong to and for the country as a whole.
 
And, above all, governors, clarifying, making everyone aware, giving examples and motivating the population to embrace the idea that the so called economic “miracles” can only happen with a lot of work, which can and should be performed with joy, satisfaction and well-being. 
 
 

 about the Book |  know the Author  |  Index