The following phrase has always caught my attention: “all work is beautiful in the eyes of God if it is done with love and finished with care. (…) Before God, the work of a street sweeper has the same merit as that of a ruler if these jobs are done well, with love, with finesse in the details, with a desire to serve.”
Without a doubt, whoever says these words has a transcendent vision of life; and precisely for this reason, he can recognize the scope that a human activity can have, no matter how simple and humble it may be. We will get to the same point, but starting from a more experiential plane. In passing, we will see how holy men can easily see what reasoning and effort it takes for those of us who do not have those levels of intimacy with God.
I usually propose a statement in the sessions that I give and surprise the audience – company executives – that the human being is not a consumer, but a being that contributes. In companies, when we think about the populations of a locality, their reality is always analyzed from the perspective of consumers: a subject with unsatisfied needs and who is always seeking to satisfy themselves.
Undoubtedly, every person has needs, and these, ordinarily, move him to resolve them; but he is not only needs; or in other words, he is not only concerned with satisfying his needs. I make a clarification: when talking about his needs, I also think about the needs of his loved ones: after all, when someone loves another, he identifies them with himself; and that is why it is possible to understand the needs of loved ones within one’s own needs.
Getting back to the thread, the human being is more than needs. He is a subject with intimacy; and, therefore, unique, unrepeatable and irreplaceable; and having intimacy means biography and reflection. But in addition, he is a being capable of self-movement, and a self-movement that directs his intimacy outside himself. That is why social life, the common good and the ability to build with others what he could not build alone are possible. That is to say, due to this characteristic of his nature, the needs of human beings with whom he had no connection become a challenge that he must take on; a contribution in which he feels invited to participate.
Now, if we transfer this analysis to the work environment, we can then understand that the trade, profession or job is much more than a means for a merely contractual relationship. From a personal perspective: it is a task that comes from someone unique, unrepeatable and irreplaceable; but, in addition, it is the singular contribution of that someone to a group of other human beings. Something, therefore, invaluable. But for this task to be really useful, it has to be done well and with attention to detail, so, as our initial quote said: “the work of a street sweeper has the same merit as that of a ruler if these jobs are done well, with love, with finesse in the details, with a desire to serve.”
From here, I want to express a very special and sincere thanks to all the people who clean the streets and pavements of our cities every morning. To all those who every day or every night make it possible for our city not to be full of garbage, and therefore, of all the problems that this would generate. The work that you do is extremely important and valuable for all the rest of us who live in the city; and that many times we do not know how to thank as we should. It is you, who, with your work, take care of us in a very special way.
It is not a job that is dispensable at all; it is extremely necessary, and it is the personal contribution that you make to us. The gift that you give us! Thank you for your work!
