A Spork in the Road

The August 13, 2007 issue of The New Yorker has an article by Steven Shapin that describes a tirade delivered by the 19th century philosopher Herbert Spencer to a banquet hosted by his American fans at Delmonico’s:

Instead of graciously bathing in the torrents of tribute, Spencer told his admirers that they had got him seriously wrong. He did not approve of the culture of American capitalism, and, while he admired its material achievements, he was concerned that, for Americans, work had become a pathological obsession. Americans were endangering their mental and physical health through overwork, and many were turning gray before their time — ten years earlier than the British, Spencer believed. America needed “a revised ideal of life,” he said, and it was time to “preach the gospel of relaxation.”

This was 1882 — 125 years ago — and apparently no one paid close enough attention to Spencer’s warning.

I’m a huge believer in Spencer’s statement that “Life is not for learning, nor is life for working, but learning and working are for life.” Yet, as my post yesterday about acute back and neck pain (on their way to becoming chronic if I don’t shape up) shows, my conscious beliefs don’t seem to be manifesting in my working life.

There are so many reasons for overwork: to make more money, to distract ourselves from discontent in other areas of life, to garnish praise, to prove that we have a “good work ethic” and that we’re not “lazy.” Those of us who are fortunate enough to do something they love for a living have the additional enticement of the sheer joy of the work itself.

Still, we have to find a balance. Pain is a signal that something is wrong, and this week I’m thankful for the pain that has shocked me out of my “pathological obsession” with work.