BY
DIVANTE
CRUZ
When we hear the word “labor” we sometimes cringe in thinking
of chores or the beginning of the week. Many of our mothers may
grimace at a certain and somewhat reminiscent event for which
they both love and slightly despise us. An unfortunate connotation
surrounds a word, which is in fact one indicative of creativity,
production, and refinement. As Peter J. McGuire, contended founder
of the holiday, once purported: it is
laborers “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the
grandeur we behold.”
Esteem for the laborious efforts of each nation’s men and women
precedes even the industrial and revolutionary boom in the 19th
century during which the holiday was adopted in the United States.
Idioms, such as “earned from the sweat of one’s brow” and “you
reap what you sow,” whose origins seem biblical in nature, expanse
this word’s history and etymology. There is even dispute regarding
the founding of the holiday itself - a credit afforded both the aforementioned McGuire and a contemporary named Matthew Maguire.
Even a few decades prior, Karl Marx began describing ideas and
philosophies of labor.
Whether they are used to create incredibly powerful drills or solidify even more powerful amorous bonds, they are given their worth
by work. Quality, then, is the true greatness that emerges from
labor. We witness differences in quality on a daily basis, and our
purchase choices are heavily informed by our understanding of that
product’s quality.
As such, Labor Day is the holiday during which the efforts of this
and every nation’s workers are commemorated (namely Canada,
whose nation shares the same Labor Day date as us). Specifically,
we acknowledge the particular endeavors of our forefathers and
ancestors who have made possible through the sweat of their brow
the development of all we know and enjoy. It is by their struggle
that we have been able to persist in perilous times and unfamiliar
terrain. There’s a reason, after all, why they call it “making money,”
and if nothing more Labor Day reminds us that we have the privilege
of living in a place where the only things separating us from fortune
is hard work.