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Reflection
Dorothy L. Sayers, “Why Work?”
The reading reflects on Sayers perception regarding work after the end of the world war. In this text, the author engages the audience in a conversation by asking questions which get the audience into thinking. According to Sayers, people should view work as a way of life in which the nature of man should find its proper exercise and delight and so fulfill itself to the glory of God rather than a necessary means of making money (Sayers 15). Ideally, changing perceptions towards work will positively affect the nation’s economy as well as the well-being of the people.
The war has changed the social arena surrounding the author. There are wasteful production and consumption due to the war. Moreover, the nation is at full employment since many people are fighting the war. However, after the war, there will be no wasteful production and consumption. Individuals will be forced to work for the output wasted during the war period. In this regard, choosing the type of work one does will not depend on the amount of remuneration, but the personal satisfaction from work (Sayers 19). The workers will draw fulfillment from the measure and quality of their work since the society provides enough returns in the form of real wealth.
Biblically, God created man to serve him rather than get paid. In this regard, the man feels fulfilled when his work is accepted and respected. Consequently, work and religion are the same things. Human beings exalt God through their jobs. Therefore, a worker should ensure they do their best in their work. However, workers should avoid directing their efforts towards impressing the clients since that would be putting the man before God.
C.S. Lewis “Learning in War Times”
The text is a sermon preached by C.S. Lewis in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford, in 1939 about the sense of learning during the war. Written during the backdrop of the Second World War, Lewis addresses the questions brought forth by Christians regarding how important learning is during times of the Great War (Lewis 47). Many people may wonder how the scholars, philosophers, and critics can concern themselves with learning when their families and countrymen are on the brinks of losing their lives and liberties. Lewis argues that although there is an impending war on the horizon, learning should not stop and if we were to wait for life to become “normal,” we would never learn anything. Better put by Lewis when he says, “If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure the search would never have begun” (Lewis 50).
The author cites three major enemies that war raises in scholars. The first enemy is excitement, where individuals tend to feel and think about the fight instead of work or learning. The second enemy raised by war is frustration. War makes scholars believe that they will never have the time to complete what they started. Surprisingly, the majority of people die while beginners in learning. Besides, the other enemy of education is fear. War threatens scholars with the imaginations of pain and death. However, in Christianity, the incidence at Gethsemane should play as motivation against the fear of death (Lewis 55). Besides, since all human beings are bound to die, there is no need of being afraid of dying. In essence, war offers people a fast and painless death compared to sicknesses like cancer.
Annie Dillard, “Living Like Weasels”
Annie Dillard’s essay “Living Like Weasels” exhibits the mindless, unbiased, and intuitive ways she proposes humans should live by observing a weasel at a nearby pond close to her home. Her sixty-second gaze with the weasel changes her way of thinking towards how people should live. The incidence preludes a rapid sequence of questions and propositions about “living as we should.” However, human beings tend to consume themselves with their surroundings and distractions, which are usually not a problem until someone indicates that there exists a problem. The notion of “living as we should” and necessity can be quite impressionistic when applied the right way.
Dillard presents several ideas in the text which are right to some extent. Since humans hoard fear by living lives of caution, we are pushed to concur with the author’s idea that humans can learn something about the endlessness of life. Furthermore, humans may also learn about the purity of living in the physical senses and the dignity of living without bias or motive” (Dillard 210). Living free implies a life with less hesitation, and includes little or no fear of the consequences of our actions. However, we should not abandon our ability to make choices; instead, our decisions should be free of bias or motive (Dillard 210). Morality, consciousness, emotions and the firm conscience are some of the factors that separate humans from the other species. Moreover, these qualities and the power mind allows people to exist as they do now due to their ability to think and feel. The power of mind gives people the ability to choose to be guided not only by feelings and emotions but also by morals and an understanding of result.
Works Cited
Dillard, Annie. “Living Like Weasels.” One Hundred Great Essays. New York: Longman, 2008, pp. 207-211.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Learning in War-time.” The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (1939): 47-63.
Sayers, Dorothy Leigh. “Why Work?” Trinity Forum Reading, 2011, pp. 15-27.