I wanted to springboard off a thought-line in the Countryside Magazine's philosophy that I posted awhile back stating "the primary reward of work should be well-being rather than money". That's actually a very well stated idea and one I've been actively trying to cultivate in my own life.
One of the areas that I have nurtured some thought concerning this idea is in the rearing of our young boys/men. Why do we, and the schooling system surrounding us, always push our boys to grow up to "make money" and to become good little tax payers (usually by doing or selling only one thing)? Why not rather exhort them to be able to provide all they need for themselves (and others if needed) through wise self-reliance in multiple disciplines and thereby growing in contentment and well-being? I think this is one area where our current economy structure -- darwinian capitalism (i.e. secular + atheistic) -- has lost it's way. It has raised the ever-increasing accumulation of mammon to a virtue not unlike the rich fool that is told in a parable by Messiah in Luke 12:13-21.
And by-the-way, as a side note, this word "capitalism" is far removed from the original, or let's say, the centuries past understanding of a free-market economic system (i.e. a righteous, godly law directed market). It now is closer to a fascistic system of the melding of big business, the military complex, and civil government intervention that publicly condones crony kickbacks. Those kickbacks flow through the lobbying (manipulating salesmen) of publicly confiscated money for a legion of godless purposes. And, I'm afraid we Christian fathers are following this mammon model of worldly foolishness more than we know in the discipling of our boys.
So, let's see, let me put some clothes on these thoughts: Our worship (work or service) is done coram Deo, before God's face, for His glory alone, and through His grace we have well-being. "Well-being" meaning we have adequate food and shelter (1 Timothy 6.8).
Anyway, just a thought.
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