Labour As an Act of Love

It's February, Black History month and Valentines are upon us, and I feel uninspired to write on either topic. I find it more interesting that these two significant cultural trademarks are intertwined in the most transient month of the year.

Labour like love is easy, hard, short, long, meaningful, sweet, and transformative.

It begs the question: "is labour actually a true and pure form of expressing love?"

It’s worth noting that labour shouldn’t be confused with work. There is space to observe the nuanced difference between what is work and what is labour.

Work vs Labour

Work is something that holds contrast. Some people enjoy their work, many don’t.

Work is a formalized contract of your services. Labour is your self-discipline that aligns with a bigger purpose. You can work without labour, and you can labour without feeling like you work. Work can be fickle and change its form. Labour is the steadiness of invoking your practice and principles no matter what.

Personally, I dwell in labour, and most often I’m described as earnest, passionate, determined. When I commit, I give it my all. When I’m done, I’m done – because I know I gave it my all. My work has changed often but my labour remains intact, with consistency as one of the single best qualities that has sustained me throughout my life.

As it is US Black History month, and we acknowledge the legacy of uncompensated and unjust physical labour that African Americans endured to build their country, it’s important to note that this isn’t the kind of labour I mean. This is capitalism, and capitalism isn’t work. Capitalism is a construct that exploits the labour of others. It’s a machine that distorts meaning and values by signifying worth based on production. Capitalism has no values; it is inherently anti-value. Thus, it cannot be the same as labour.

Labour is/can be spiritual and moral and integral. Labour aligns itself with meaning. It is meaningful to produce what you love with care and consistency.

Labour when from the heart, has a certain beauty to it.

What is Labour?

I suppose the deeper question is what do you love enough to show up consistently for and discipline your values around? Labour can also take many forms – a shorthand I recently learned is to ask yourself "are you an artist, a craftsman or a manufacturer?"

An artist seeks to create work that’s original. A craftsman aims to produce work of quality. A manufacturer wishes to create work that is replicable. Knowing your version of functional labour is useful. And knowing when you are being one, both or all is even better.

I have found that I’m an artist that deeply values craftsmanship. I love originality, and my discipline and commitment to quality has gifted me hard lessons on learning my limitations on my labour. Being aware of how much labour I can give, before it becomes capitalism, exploitation and other unsavoury forms of exchange that will breed frustration or resentment in me.

Knowing your labour is a compass for alignment.

Performing labour is a disciplinary act of love.

Understanding your labour will teach you how to love yourself more.

So, the question for you this week is "where does your labour meet your love?"

'til next Sunday!Z.