What is The True Definition of Work?

What is The True Definition of Work?

Work is as natural as play or rest and protects man from boredom and vice.

Work is as natural as play or rest. There is a strong impression that people dislike work and they always try their best to avoid it. It is vehemently asserted that people are naturally lazy. But that is not so; work is a natural activity. Everybody needs to do some work. The reason is very simple. The human body is an organic system which converts inputs of food, water and air into outputs of behavior. Work is the most important form of such behavior. The human body generates a certain amount of energy, physical and mental, for which work is the best outlet. In the absence of work a human being will atrophy. A noted author has said: “You ask…why I go on working. I go on working for the same reason a hen’s goes on laying eggs.” Work can be a pleasure, an energizing activity. It recharges the human body and mind.

Man is endowed with many faculties. He can think. He can learn and store knowledge. He possesses imagination. He wants to understand himself. He wants to communicate with the outside world. He wants to be creative. He wants to achieve the impossible.
Work gives man an opportunity for self-understanding, self-expression and self-development. Suppose a man is writing a report. As he proceeds, he gets to know his limitations: so he understands himself better. His thinking and writing is a matter of self-expression. And this exercise gives him an opportunity to develop his talent.


Work is like a mirror in which one can see one’s real self very clearly. When an individual is working vigorously, it is clear indication of his physical and mental health. Work in fact sums up the past of the individual, his habits, his ability to concentrate, his educational and cultural background, his motivation and his values. Work provides the individual with an objective scale for assessing his progress and self-development. For instance if a worker is not well, if he is a habitual late-comer, if he is not well-trained, his performance will be poor. His work therefore reflects all these factors. He can, if he so desires, improve himself. His work again will show how much progress he has made. Therefore, an individual should be as interested in his work as he is in his health and his well-being.

Work protects man from boredom and vice. Work is an essential as air, water and food. When a man is without work he is bored and boredom is the cruelest punishment that can be imposed on anyone. Boredom destroys a person physically, mentally and spiritually. It is a silent but soul-killing form of torture. Generally, a person who has no work tries to escape boredom by engaging in other activities such as gambling or becoming addicted to drugs and liquor. He may become quarrelsome and destructive.

Even an ordinary worker who takes his daily work seriously attains some measure of contentment and peace of mind. He is self-disciplined. He develops good habits. He is regular and does not overspend. On the contrary, a worker who neglects his work is bored, undisciplined and develops various vices. He is denying himself one of the essentials of good life – work which will utilize his time and energy meaningfully.

Ever wonder why work is very vital all along with our lives?