“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

EVERY WORK MUST BE GIVEN HONOUR

The word ‘dignity’ means the ‘quality of being worthy of honour or respect So the expression ‘dignity of labour’ means honour or respect’ received through or for hard work. That is why it is said that ‘work is worship’. Every type of work need labour, physical or intellectual. But the word labour’ is generally used in the sense of physical labour which is as important as intellectual labour. The production of cereals, construction of buildings and the other constructive work require physical labour. Man cannot do without hard labour. So, he should do all types of work.

WRONG NOTION ABOUT MANUAL LABOUR

But the attitude of the educated and the gentlemen towards manual labour is wrong. They are of the opinion that manual work is fit for the illiterate men only. But they are mistaken. All intellectual work involves some sort of physical labour. Even a student has to labour hard to pass the examination. All artists, scientists and writers whose work is intellectual have to spend hours with patience. The manual work too needs the exercise of intellect. A carpenter, an ironsmith, a goldsmith, a barber, etc. whose work is physical have to exercise intellect to improve the quality of their work.

MANUAL LABOUR: THE ROOT OF ALL PROGRESS

And it is the manual labour which is at the root of all progress. It is rightly said that true labour never goes in vain. Labour has its own importance. Nothing can be achieved in the world without labour. The prosperity of a country depends on its agricultural products. So, there is no humiliation in the cultivation of land. The people of the West do their work themselves. They look upon labour as something honourable and sacred. Such is the importance of labour that its dignity is recognised by all. It is the source of health and happiness.